Dreams of Power
by XTheSonofHadesX
Summary: Percy and Nico have been separated by dreams, time, and tradition. However, to face an immortal king gone mad, addicted to Dreams of Power, they will need to come together to restore order to their home. And, if Nico hopes to succeed, he must stop Percy from succumbing to those same Dreams.(Discontinued/Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

_So, as you may have noticed, this is not Children of Loss or Shadows of an Empire. That would be because Shadows isn't finished yet. I was at a friend's house for New Year's Eve. But it should be out no later than Sunday. I'm trying to put more effort into writing my chapters, and it's taking longer to finish them. This story is also one of the reasons I'm taking longer to write. Anyways, I didn't want to go an entire week without posting something, so I decided to post this. But as I said, you'll also get Shadows by Sunday._

_So, I've been working on this for a month now. As you can tell, this is a very long first chapter. That's because it was originally two chapters, but they ended up getting merged into one. I'm not sure what to say about this really. I'm also in a fantasy kick, and I don't know why. But this is going to be another long fic, as well as another heavily sexual fic. However, it'll be different from how I typically go about getting Percy and Nico together, but you'll have to wait and see what I mean by that._

_And, finally, I'm not going to be updating this story like my other ones. It's posting will be completely random. It probably will take up my Sunday slot, but I have no idea how many times a month it will get updated. It could be every other week, every three weeks, or once a month. Once Tale finishes, it'll probably become a full-time fic, but for now it will come at random intervals. Anyways, I hope you enjoy._

_Warning: Language, sex, alcohol, death, violence, blood, possible gore. I might be forgetting something, but I like to cover all my bases when I put out the first chapter._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters._

Chapter 1

The wind howled through the night sky, whipping at the rider's black hair. A young boy, no older than ten, sat on his stolen horse. The young rider turned his head to peer behind him with dark brown eyes. The village and soldiers were far behind him, but they would surely not stay that way for long. He reached behind him to touch the sack that was strapped to his back. His eyes darted back to the forest before he spurred his horse to gallop faster.

As the wind picked up, his horse gave a snort. He slowed down and patted his horse's mane before sniffing the air himself. They were closing in on him. He needed to hurry to the rendezvous point. He whispered into the horse's ear and, once again, they were shooting through the woods.

The young rider was suddenly facing down two spearman who had come from behind two large trees. His horse reared back, nearly knocking him off. A third man stepped out from behind a tree. The rider let out a sigh of relief as he climbed off of his mount. He began walking towards the third man, but the spearman crossed their weapons, blocking his path.

"It's alright," the man said. "Do you have it, child?"

The raven haired youth smirked and reached over his shoulder to touch the sack on his back. "Some welcome you give, Terminus," he replied.

"My apologizes, but beyond myself, no one knows you were our informant. I half expected you to betray us."

"I am not my father," the rider whispered.

"That has yet to be seen."

The brown-eyed youth frowned at the older man. Terminus held out his hand and he frowned deeper. He let out a sigh and reached behind him to begin pulling the sack off his back. Everyone froze when a twig snapped in the distance.

"You led us into a trap," Terminus hissed.

The rider quickly shook his head. "No, I didn't. They must have followed me from Ismir."

Two arrows flew out of the dark woods and plunged into the spearmen's necks. "We must run," growled Terminus. "Do not make me regret trusting you."

Terminus and the rider took off running into the dark woods. They skidded to a halt as fire erupted in front of them. The rider placed a protective hand over the sack on his back. They turned to find a tall man in blood red robes standing a few feet away.

His shoulder length black hair was darker than the night itself. His eyes blazed a bright yellow that shined eerily in the moonlight. He had thick bushy eyebrows and milky white pale skin. And the dark circles around his eyes, as well as the blackness around his mouth, gave him a demonic look.

"Ah, there you are, Nico," the man said with a sinister grin, showing off his sharp teeth. "I always knew you would be a disappointment. I just didn't think you would be a bigger one than your father was." He held out a pale hand with sharp black nails. "I believe you have something of the king's."

Giant brutes of men known as Titans emerged from the woods to stand behind the robbed man. "It was never his to possess," Terminus said defiantly.

"Give it to me, and I'll let you live," the man said, his grin dropping.

"Do you really expect us to trust the word of a sorcerer, Minos?" Nico said, sticking out his tongue at the dark man.

Minos's eyes narrowed at Nico. With a flick of his wrist, Terminus was launched into the air, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack. Nico pursed his lips as he took a step back and drew his sword. Minos pointed a black nailed finger at Nico. "Take it from him," he ordered the brutes behind him.

Nico raised his blade to defend as one of the Titans approached. He quickly rolled to the side, keeping a hand over the sack still strapped to his back. He sliced his sword across the Titan's leg, making him howl in pain. Nico stood up and jammed the sword into the injured Titan's back.

He grunted as he jerked it out and countered a blow from a second Titan, only for it to knock him to the ground. The Titan leapt forward and kicked Nico, sending him sliding across the ground. He grunted and rolled into a crouching position. His eyes blazed defiantly as he glared at Minos, wiping at his cracked lip. He attempted to roll forward, but the giant grabbed him by the throat and tossed him backwards. Nico stumbled back onto his feet, readying his sword.

Minos smirked at his defiance. He raised a hand and shouted, "Fulminare!"

Lightning shot from Minos's hand and struck Nico in the chest. Nico doubled over in pain as the electric current ran through his body. When he hit the ground, a large red stone rolled out of his sack. Minos walked forward and kicked him onto his back.

"Little boys shouldn't play with such things, Nico. You're no warrior, not yet, anyways," Minos sneered. "I don't know how you managed to steal this, but it won't be happening again." He smirked down at the boy before walking over to the red stone and carefully picking it up.

His smirk slowly slid off his face as he looked it over. He hissed a curse under his breath and the stone lost its shiny texture.

"This is nothing but an enchanted stone! Do you think me a conjuror of cheap tricks, brat?" He shouted, throwing the rock down next to Nico's head. "Where is it?"

Nico smirked up at Minos. "Poor Minos. How will you ever tell the king...that you failed?" The raven haired child panted out.

Minos sneered at him before reaching down and sinking one of his black nails into Nico's chest. The young boy began writhing in pain. Minos frowned as the boy's eyes rapidly flashed back and forth between their normal dark brown and a bright red.

His evil grin slowly spread out across his lips as he pulled his hand away. "Well, perhaps I won't be coming back empty-handed after all. Isn't that right...Rider?"

* * *

Far to the north, in a village called Mitra, another young boy with black hair was waking up. Percy sat up in bed with a long yawn, stretching his arms over his head. He swung his naturally tan legs over the edge of the bed and scrunched his toes before following his nose towards the kitchen.

His mother, Sally, sat a loaf of bread and a clay cup on the table in front of him. She smiled at him and ruffled his bed-ridden dark hair. He scowled at her with sea-green eyes, though it only managed to earn him a laugh from his mother.

He smiled brightly as the front door opened and his father came into their home. The boy was the spitting image of his father. They both had hair as black as the night itself, though Percy's hair hung down into eyes, where as his father let his hair hang down to his shoulders. Percy had also inherited his father's sea-green eyes and naturally tan skin. While Poseidon had a large and imposing muscular stature, he looked younger than many of his coevals in the village. Over the years, Percy noticed that the man didn't seem to age much. Percy also had a dazzling smile to match that of his father's, and like his father, he used it to get out of trouble with his mother.

Though, Poseidon had a neatly trimmed beard, and Percy, obviously wasn't able to grow one at the time. One other thing that Poseidon had that Percy didn't was a thin scar that ran across his back. Whenever Percy would ask about it, his father would just brush it off and make up some tall tale about how he got the thing, and he never got the same story twice.

Poseidon walked over to Sally and kissed her on the cheek. He stood behind the woman for a moment, whispering in her ear. He towered over the woman nearly by two heads. Percy had always been tall for his age, but his father still dwarfed him in size.

"So, what do you say, Percy, want to go get some practice in today?" Poseidon asked, sitting down at the table with Percy.

Sally turned around and narrowed her eyes at her husband. "You both have chores to be doing. And I don't like you teaching him sword fighting," she chided her husband.

Poseidon grinned at her. "Sweetie, it could very well save his life one day."

Sally sighed and shook her head. "Chores first, then you can take him off to get himself killed," she mumbled.

Poseidon let out a loud laugh before smiling at Percy. "You heard your mother, off with you."

Percy grinned back at his father before shooting away from the table. His mother stepped away from her cooking pot to wrap up some potatoes and carrots. She then fished out a few coins and handed it all to Percy. "Now, I want you to trade this for some meat, not anything else that some of the traders might try selling you," the woman said, giving him a playful stern look.

"Yes, mother," he mumbled, kicking at the floor. He made a face when she leaned down to kiss him on the top of his head. He scowled up at her while grabbing his satchel from its hanging place by the door before opening the door and disappearing from the house.

His parents had built their home on the outskirts of the small village, so it always took him a while to get into village. While his father was a friendly man, he always said he just preferred the solitude of living outside of the village. He had married Percy's mother and the two had ended up starting a farm together.

When he finally managed to get into the village, business had already started bustling for the day. He frowned as one merchant waved a dead chicken in front of his face. They had their own chickens, but they were usually used for eggs, rather than eating.

His eyes widened and a grin slid across his face as he stopped in front of the blacksmith. His eyes danced with wonder as he looked over all of the blades that had been laid out. A chuckling came from the back, and soon, a man walked away from the forge. "A little too big for you, lad. Maybe when you're older, Percy," the blacksmith chuckled.

Percy frowned and turned to continue on his way, when he bumped into something. He looked up and his eyes widened as he was met by the scowling face of a soldier. "Watch where you're going, brat," the man hissed at him. The blacksmith frowned at the soldier, but made no attempt to say anything as the man and another soldier walked closer to Percy.

The green-eyed young boy yelped as he was shoved down by the soldiers. He glared at them as they laughed and walked away. He let out a sigh as he picked himself back up, making sure to grab his sack of vegetables before walking off again.

Percy made his way across the village to where to butcher kept his shop. He slid the door open and stepped inside. He sat his sack on the counter and pulled out his coins. The bulky man behind the counter slung his cleaver into the counter and smirked down at Percy.

"Come to pick up your mother's order, eh, Percy?" The butcher asked, already retrieving a package of wrapped up meat. Percy nodded at him when he returned to the counter. "There ya are, lad."

"Thanks," Percy said, flashing his bright smile. He slid the purchased meat into his satchel and tossed the butcher a salute before exiting the man's shop.

Percy began whistling to himself as he marched himself back to his parents' house. He decided to take a shortcut today, which passed by the local tavern. A few denizens were seated outside the establishment, sharing the latest gossip.

"So, did you hear?" One of them started.

"Hear what?" A woman asked grumpily.

"The king was robbed."

Percy slowed down when the man's words reached his ears. Never in Percy's lifetime had anyone ever broken into the Imperial Palace successfully. He grinned mischievously and crept into some bushes beside the tavern.

"What did the thief steal?" A chubby man asked before belching loudly.

The man sharing the gossip shrugged. "No one knows. Word is they caught the thief, but whatever it was that was stolen wasn't on the fellow."

"Must have been important," the chubby man replied.

The first man burst out laughing. "Not that it does him any good, I guess."

"Must not have been as good as the last thief," the woman said. Percy frowned to himself. Someone had broken into the palace before?

"Yeah, well, I still think that last time was just a rumor. People just trying to get some morale up."

Percy sighed as they fell quiet. He climbed out of the bushes and headed for home once again. He would have to remember to ask his father about that rumor. As he walked, he couldn't help but imagine what it was that the thief had stolen, and what the now captured guy had done with it. What could it have been?

When he reached home, his father was already out in the fields tending to the crops. He climbed over the fence and crouched low in order to sneak up on the tall man. He grinned as he neared his father. When he leapt at his father, the man spun around and caught him in the air with a laugh.

"Nice try, Percy," Poseidon laughed as he sat the boy down. "Ready to go train?"

"You bet, dad," Percy said with a grin.

* * *

Percy's eyes snapped open when there was a knock at the front door. He climbed out of bed and crept over to his door. He slowly cracked the wooden door open and peered through the cracked opening. His father was at the door talking to someone. His mother was standing a few feet behind Poseidon, whispering to her husband.

"What are they doing here?" Sally hissed.

"Sorry, m'lady. But we would not have come if it were not dire circumstances," a man from outside said, his voice thick and deep with an accent from the east. Poseidon stepped aside and gestured into the house for the men to enter.

Three men walked into the house, one with a large wrapped up object in his hands. All three of them were tall muscular men, but not as tall as Poseidon. Their faces, along with their entire bodies, were covered in silver chainmail. There were openings for their eyes, but all of their other facial features were hidden behind the metal. Long curved swords hung from all of their waists. They looked tan, from what Percy could make out, like they spent a lot of time in the sun.

The one carrying the large object stepped forward and held it out towards Poseidon. "Why did you bring that here, Janus?" Poseidon asked, staring down at the object.

The man called Janus sighed, but did not retract the object. "The other one was stolen," he said.

"Who stole it?"

"An informant inside Kronos's castle. We assume the informant was successful, but they ended up getting caught. Though, from the other egg was not found."

Poseidon rubbed his face. "I told you, I have a family now. I got you that one, and I expected you to deal with finding its Rider."

Janus gave Percy's father a harsh stare. "You know why I brought this here. He is one of the best possible candidates, since he is **your** son."

Poseidon narrowed his eyes, but took the wrapped up object from Janus. "And what about the informant and other egg? Without the informant, we can't find it."

Janus nodded. "That was the other reason I came to you," he replied.

Sally shook her head. "No, I can't let you take my husband out there to get himself killed. He has a family now. He has a son. His part of your war is over," she jumped in.

"My lady, I would not ask this of him if I did not have any other choice. I would prefer him here, teaching his son for what may be to come." His eyes flickered from Sally back over to Poseidon. "But, I cannot pass up an opportunity like this."

Poseidon's lips thinned as he stared down at the object in his hands, deeply contemplating his options. "Sally-" Poseidon began.

"No," Sally stopped him.

"I need to do this, Sally. We could have both of them. We could finally have a chance at winning this."

"I thought this was behind you, Poseidon." She frowned at her husband. "What about your son?"

Poseidon kissed her forehead. "I promise that I'll be back. I won't abandon him." He handed the wrapped up object to her. "Keep this safe for me until I get back."

She hesitantly took the item from her husband. Percy's eyes widened as Poseidon headed towards him. He scrambled back towards his bed and got under the covers. He cracked an eye open when he heard the door to his parents' room open. He heard his father scrounge around in their room before exiting and shutting the door.

The door to his room opened, and Percy shut his eyes. Poseidon edged closer to Percy's bed and kneeled down. "Percy," Poseidon whispered. He chuckled when Percy didn't move. "Percy, I know you're awake."

Percy pouted and opened his eyes. "Dad, where are you going?" He asked. He looked down to see his father carrying a sheathed sword. The sword's hilt was silver, with a red ruby in the center on both sides. The boy's eyes flickered back up to meet his father's with a look of fear.

"Percy, everything will be alright. Be good for your mother while I'm gone. I promise not to be gone too long, but I have some things I need to take care of.

Percy reluctantly nodded. Poseidon leaned in and pulled him into a hug. "Bye, dad," Percy whispered as his father pulled back. He chewed on his lip as he watched his father walk out the door. He squeezed his sheets when he heard the front door close, followed by sobbing from his mother.

After an hour or two had passed, Percy still hadn't been able to go back to sleep. He crept out of bed and peered into the main room of the house, finding it empty. He frowned, though, when his ears picked up on a thumping noise.

He crept out of his room and followed the noise to the kitchen. He frowned at several sacks of flour. The noise was coming from there, he was sure of it. He grunted and dragged one of the sacks away from the others. His eyes widened as he recognized the object lying in the middle of all of the flour. It was the object those men had brought.

He got down on the ground and crawled over to it. He slowly reached out and pulled the large object in front of his knees, his eyes growing in excitement. He slowly unwrapped the item and his mouth slowly slid open. He let the cloth drop as he stared at a large blue and white stone. The white on the egg seemed to float across the stone's surface like the clouds in the sky. It had a scaly-like texture to it and was shaped like an egg.

The thumping noise was very loud now as he stared down at the stone. His eyes slowly widened as he realized it was a heartbeat, and it actually matched his own. He slowly reached out and touched it. His eyes grew wide as a surge of heat coursed through his body.

Unbeknownst to him, his eyes began flickering from their normal green to one being blue and the other being white. He held the stone as it began radiating a faint glow. It was so warm to the touch. What was this thing? His eyes grew wide with panic when he heard movement from his mother's room.

He sat the stone back onto the cloth and his eyes shifted back to their sea-green color. He quickly wrapped the thing back up and slid it back behind the flour. He pushed the flour he had moved earlier back in front of the pile and moved to sit at the table just as his mother's door opened.

She let out a yawn as she entered the room, stopping when she noticed Percy sitting at the table. "You're up early, Perseus," she said.

"Couldn't sleep," Percy mumbled.

Sally nodded and walked past him. She got him a cup and sat it down in front of him. "I'll go get you some milk."

Percy smiled at her as she fetched a bucket. His mother was a pretty woman, probably the most beautiful in the entire village. Her voice was always soothing and calming, and was one of Percy's oldest memories. Her face was usually adorned by one of the brightest and warmest smiles Percy had ever seen. She had long straight brown hair with a few grey strands in it, unlike his father. Though, she didn't look that old, but it somehow felt different from his father's youthful appearance. Her eyes were a sparkly blue, which would often change in the light.

She tossed him a smile before leaving the house. Percy's smile dropped as he looked back over to the flour. He could still hear that thumping noise, and he wondered if it would ever stop.

For the rest of the day, he spent his time helping his mother tend to the crops and take care of their animals. It was relatively quiet since his father wasn't there, but his mother tried to keep him occupied the best she could. He helped his mother prepare supper, while trying to ignore the thumping noise coming from the flour. He missed his father, even if the man had only been gone for a day. All Percy's life, the man had been there, and now Percy couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see his father again.

That night, Percy once again found himself unable to sleep. He lay in bed, glaring up at the ceiling. The heartbeat noise still hadn't stopped, but when he had left the house, he hadn't been able to hear it. But now that he lay there in bed, it was tormenting him. And the strangest part was that it sounded as if it had gotten louder.

He covered his face with his palms and let out a groan. When was his father getting back? Maybe he could make the noise stop. He huffed and rolled onto his side so that his back was facing the door. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away.

But as the time slowly crept by, Percy still heard the thumping noise. He growled to himself and sat up in bed, tossing the covers off his body. Percy opened his door and silently walked into the kitchen. He glared at the sacks of flour before walking over to them. He dragged the sack of flour in the front away again and stood in front of the wrapped up stone, placing his hands on his hips with a huff.

He pulled the stone out and sat cross-legged in front of it. "Can't you be quiet?" He whispered. "I'm trying to sleep."

As if it heard him, the stone began to glow. His eyes shifted back to one being white and the other being blue. His eyes widened as the stone began to rock on the floor. He let out a small yelp and scrambled backwards when a portion of the stone cracked.

The stone rolled around on the floor before standing straight up and shattering. In its place lay a small creature that Percy had never seen before. Like the stone it came out of, it was a mix of blue and white. The majority of it was blue, with its belly and the underside of its wings being white. It looked like a winged lizard to Percy. It had a long scaly neck, and four legs with sharp claws on each one. It had bat-like wings that looked to be about as big as the creature itself. Two small white stubs poked out of the top of its head. It stared up at Percy with two sapphire colored eyes.

Percy's eyes widened further when it stood up on its hind legs and flapped its wings, sending a small breeze in Percy's direction. It made a tiny growling noise and bounced around on the floor in front of Percy.

Percy jumped to his feet when the thing jumped at him. He scrambled to the door and flung it open, running out into the night. He ran as fast as he could, not daring to look back. But what about his mother? He couldn't just leave her there with that thing.

Percy skidded to a halt and turned around, ready to go back and save his mother, when he was tackled by a flying blue and white blur latching onto his face. He screamed and scrambled away, but the creature flew off the ground and latched onto the back of his shirt.

Percy panicked and took off running towards the woods, the thing still clutching his shirt. He scrambled through the dark woods until his body slowed from exhaustion. He panted as he bent over and tried to catch his breath. The winged lizard made a squeaking growl as it climbed onto Percy's shoulder. Percy yelped and dove onto the ground. The creature let go of him and glided down to the ground. It tilted its head to the side curiously as it stared Percy in the eye.

"Wh-what are you?" Percy asked as he scrambled away from it.

It made another playful growling sound and crouched low to the ground while expanding its wings.

"You...can't be real. You can't be a dragon, can you?" Percy shook his head. "Only the king has a dragon."

The creature stood up on all fours and let out a screech. Percy swallowed before finally looking around them. His shoulders slumped as he realized he was lost. He couldn't even see anything through the woods. He must have run to the very center of Errinvale Forest.

Percy wrapped his arms around himself and tried to look up at the night sky, but the trees were too thick. He could barely see the winged lizard a mere foot in front of him with such little lighting. He watched curiously as the supposed dragon let out a quiet yawn before lying down and wrapping its tail around itself.

Percy's eyes began to droop and he too let out a yawn. As if time had slowed down for him, he fell backwards onto the grass. He stared up at the trees as they began to sway and blur in front of his eyes. A chill ran across his body and his breathing slowly became shallow. Percy's eyes finally drifted closed as he gave in to fatigue. All around the boy and his new dragon, the trees closed in around them, hiding them from the rest of the world.

* * *

Nico quietly sat cross-legged on the floor of an incense-filled dining hall, not bothering to touch the food on the table in front of him. To Nico's right, sat Kronos, though the king was hidden behind a veil. On the other side of Kronos, sat Minos, who was making sure to keep an eye on Nico. Right next to Nico, sat a tall blond young man of eighteen. His golden hair fell down to his shoulders, while his bangs hung into the young man's green eyes. He had perfectly tanned bronze skin. His eyes were pure green, except for two black slits.

Nico sighed and looked back at the girls and boys that danced for the royal court's entertainment. They all dressed in provocative fashion that did little to hide the skin beneath their clothing. Bells were strapped to their wrists, while the girls had veils covering their mouths. They weaved their hands through the air in slow provocative movements, though it did nothing for Nico due to his young age.

He looked down at his plate when something was dropped on it. He frowned down at several pieces of pork that were now sitting on his plate before scowling at the blond beside him. "You need to eat," he said in a monotone voice.

"I'd rather die," retorted Nico.

The green of the blond's eyes seemed to blaze like fire. "Not until you tell us where the egg is."

"I'm not going to do that."

The blond's nostrils flared, causing smoke to shoot out. A deep rumbling growl emitted from the blond's throat as he crawled towards Nico. Nico shrank back onto the ground, his eyes widening as the blond slammed his hand into the table. The young man's nails appeared to darken and grow sharp as they dug into the wood.

At the sound of someone snapping their fingers, the blond pulled away from Nico. "Behave yourself, Hyperion. We still need him, even when he gives us the egg," came Kronos's dark haunting voice. "Minos, perhaps the boy would prefer to eat in his chambers. Won't you see to it that he arrives safely?"

Minos rose from his place on the floor beside the king and bowed. He walked over to Nico and got a firm grip on Nico's arm before yanking him off the ground. Nico winced as he felt the man's nails sink into his skin, but bit down on his lip to prevent a scream from escaping him.

He was led through the castle to his room, where he was tossed inside. Nico fell to the floor with a grunt before rolling over to glare at Minos. "This would be so much easier if you just told the king what he wanted to know. You know how he suffers without the egg," the sorcerer said with a faint smirk.

"Go burn in the hells that spawned you," Nico growled, pushing himself to his feet. He sat down on his bed and turned his back to the dark sorcerer. He shuddered when he felt the dark and disturbing man's breathing in his ear.

"Don't worry, Nico, once we have the egg, I'll be getting to spend a lot of intimate time with you," Minos whispered. "Breaking you and the dragon's will. Corrupting you, turning you, strengthening you for the purpose of serving your soon to be master, Kronos."

Nico jerked his head around, but all he found was dissipating smoke. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. At least the egg was out of Kronos's reach, and that was all that mattered. He heard the door open behind him, but he didn't bother turning around. "I'm not hungry," he mumbled.

When the door closed, he turned his head, ready to get up and throw the food at the door. He froze when he saw two guards with their swords drawn standing in front of the door. One was slightly taller and more muscular than the other. Nico could not see their faces, due to the standard helmets that they wore.

"Well, if you've come to kill me, be my guest," he chuckled dryly.

The shorter of the two pulled his helmet off, revealing a middle-aged man with chestnut colored hair. His eyes were a dark grey color, like the stones that the very castle was made out of. He had tan skin and calloused looking hands. There was a small cut on his left cheek, right below his eye, as well a hint of stubble on his chin.

"We're actually here about the dragon egg," the man said.

Nico frowned at him. "Well, like I told the king, I'm not telling," he huffed.

The man smiled at him. "I think you misunderstand. We're here to help you."

Nico eyed the man skeptically while the taller man removed his helmet. He had shoulder length black hair and a pair of striking sea-green eyes. Like the first man, he had tan skin and a muscular structure. While he had a sense of age about him, he looked relatively young. His beard was neatly trimmed and he had laugh lines, though he did not look too happy at the moment.

"You did not tell me this was who we were coming to rescue, Janus," the taller man growled, pointing his sword at Nico, who stared down at the blade with wide eyes. "He is the son of Hades, the traitor."

Janus stepped forward and placed his hand on the man's sword, pushing it away from Nico. "Because I knew you wouldn't come with me if you knew," he said simply. "Regardless, we need him. He's the only one who knows where the dragon egg is."

"Who are you two?" Nico asked, eyeing them cautiously.

Janus smiled at him. "I am Janus, of the Popularis, and this is Poseidon."

Poseidon and Nico stared at each other for a long time. He didn't like the way the man stared at him, like there was some deep rooted hatred for who he was. They broke their gazes when bells started going off throughout the castle. Janus cursed under his breath and grabbed Poseidon's arm.

"I know how you feel about this, but we need to get him out of here," the rebel hissed.

Poseidon leered at Nico again briefly before grunting. He reluctantly nodded his head and grabbed Nico's arm. Nico let out a gasp as he was dragged from his room between the two men. "We're going to need a faster way out of here," Poseidon whispered.

"I know a way out," Nico said.

The two men stared at each other for a brief second before Janus nodded. "Show us," he ordered.

Nico nodded and they took off down the hall. Nico slid to a stop as three guards came marching down the hall. Poseidon pushed him back and the two older men prepared to face off against the king's royal guard. Janus ducked under a swing, while slicing his blade across the guard's thigh. He rose back to his full height before slamming the pummel of his sword into the man's helmet, knocking him against the wall.

Meanwhile, Poseidon was skillfully defending against his two attackers. When one of them went to strike, he raised his blade and blocked. He then countered by kicking the man in the chest and slicing his blade horizontally down the man's chest. As the guard fell to the ground, Poseidon grabbed the guard he had kicked and slammed his head into the wall.

Before Nico had the chance to even blink, Poseidon had regained his firm grip on Nico's arm and was dragging him down the hall again. Nico directed them down several corridors. He cringed when he heard Kronos's booming voice echo through the castle for the guards to stop them. Nico quickly directed them towards a door, just as several more guards came around a corner.

Poseidon stepped forward, while Janus worked on knocking in the door. The black haired man stretched his hand out and yelled, "Conflare!"

Nico watched as fire shot out from the man's hand and incinerated the guards. "Come on!" Janus yelled at them.

"Hey!" Nico cried as Poseidon picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

They ran into the room, where the two men began looking around. "Where is this passage?" Poseidon hissed.

Nico grumbled from his place on the man's shoulder. "It's behind that bookcase," he answered, kicking his leg in the direction he knew said object to be. "There's a lever beside it. Just look for a loose stone."

Janus patted the wall for a few seconds before he found it. He gripped the stone and pulled it out. Sure enough, the bookcase moved away from the wall, revealing a dark tunnel. They turned to look at the sound of yelling. Poseidon shoved Janus into the tunnel and tossed Nico at him. He shoved the stone back into the wall and quickly stepped inside before it closed.

Nico sighed as he was placed between the two men again. Poseidon took the lead, feeling the wall as a means to guide them. "Where does this lead?" The man asked.

"The lake southeast of Olympus," Nico answered. "There's a cave opening there, which is good, because we need to head south."

"And why is that?"

"I hid the egg in that direction."

"And where is the egg?" Poseidon inquired.

Nico glared at the man's back. "I'm not telling. If I do, how do I know you won't kill me?"

Poseidon grunted at him. Janus placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. "You will not be harmed. Besides, I am curious about some things," he said.

Nico frowned and turned his head, though he was unable to see Janus. "What sorts of things?"

"You will find out in due time, boy."

It took them over an hour to navigate the dark tunnel. Once they exited, the two men sheathed their swords. "Now then, show us where you hid the egg," Poseidon said, turning to Nico.

When Nico was quiet, Janus crossed his arms. "You were planning on giving the egg to the rebels, weren't you?" He asked. "I saw you meeting with Terminus, so I know you took a fake one to the meeting. Why?"

"I didn't want to risk the king interrupting the meeting," Nico mumbled. "And I'm glad I didn't take it, or else the egg would be back in his hands."

"And why do you want to help with defeating Kronos?" Poseidon inquired.

Nico glared at Poseidon. "I hate that man. He is evil, even if people don't see it. He murdered his order and took over Elysia. He is insane with the desire for power, and I want to see an end to it."

Poseidon nodded his head once before looking at Janus with a sigh. "Well then, shall we be on our way?"

They journeyed for two days before they reached the spot that Nico had met with Terminus in. They had stayed off the roads, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. The sun was just starting to set when they arrived in the area that Nico had said he had stashed the egg.

He wandered around for a while, the two men following behind him. "Did you lose it?" Poseidon asked quietly.

"Well, it was dark, and I was in a hurry," Nico chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "It should be here- There!"

Nico ran over to what looked like an old rabbit warren. The boy got onto his stomach and slid into the opening. Nico grabbed a ledge and dropped down a small distance to a small dark cavern. It wasn't very big, and he wasn't even able to stand up straight. He smiled when he saw what he was looking for.

Beneath some old leaves and dirt, was a red egg that was glowing faintly in the darkness. He slowly reached down and picked it up before tucking it under his shirt and climbing his way back up the hole. He grinned at both of the men when he emerged from the warren. He pulled the stone from his shirt and held it out for them. Poseidon made to reach for it, but stopped.

The egg began to glow in Nico's outstretched hands. Nico's eyes turned bright red as he stared down at the egg, which was getting warmer. The egg began rocking back and forth in his palms, and, finally, cracks began to form along its surface. The egg suddenly shattered in his hands, the fragments falling away to reveal a small red dragon in Nico's palms.

It blinked up at Nico and made a high pitched rumbling sound in its throat. It made a hissing sound as it circled around in Nico's palm before wrapping its wings around Nico's hand, and its tail around Nico's wrist. Nico stared down at it in amazement. It was a pure dark red color, except for the edges of its scales, which were black. Two black stubs sat on top of its head and it had bat-like wings that would expand the distance between its nose and its tail. Its eyes were bright red, and gave the appearance of flames, with black slits in the very center.

Nico looked up when he felt Poseidon's presence. The man stood directly in front of him, staring down at the dragon with a smile on his face. "Congratulation. It seems that it chose you to be its Rider," the black haired man whispered. The two of them locked gazes. "It's a very high honor to be chosen by a dragon."

"You were a Dragon Rider, weren't you?" Nico asked. He blinked down at the dragon in his hands as it climbed up his arm and wrapped itself around his shoulders.

Poseidon let out a long sigh. "I was, a very long time ago."

"We will need to part ways soon. I will need to return to Chiron and inform him of what has happened here," Janus spoke up.

Poseidon turned to him with a frown. "You're not taking him with you?"

Janus shook his head. "I don't think that Chiron would be as...understanding about taking in the son of Hades right now, even if he is a Rider. Besides, he needs training, and I know you don't like being at Valterossa for extended periods of time."

Poseidon and Nico looked at each other. The tall man finally nodded. "I'll take care of him for you. He'll stay with me in Mitra."

Janus frowned at him. "Is that wise? That dragon isn't going to stay small forever."

Poseidon chuckled. "I do remember what it was like to raise a dragon, Janus. Even if it was a thousand years ago."

Nico's eyes widened as he listened to Poseidon. He turned his head to look at the red winged creature on his shoulder. Was he going to live that long? Janus nodded and walked off to where they had tied up two horses that they had stolen on the way there.

Poseidon finally turned to Nico and placed his hand on Nico's head. "I have a boy about your age, so you won't be completely alone at my home," the man said. "Actually, it was our hope that he would be a Dragon Rider as well."

"You mean with the other dragon egg that was stolen?" Nico asked.

The tall man nodded and walked over to the other horse. "Yes. Janus brought it to me right before we came and got you. I'm just hoping that it hasn't hatched yet." He let out a chuckle. "I can only imagine how Sally or Percy would react if they suddenly found a baby dragon in the house."

"What if it doesn't hatch for him?"

Poseidon's lips thinned as he untied the horse from the tree. Nico walked over and Poseidon holstered him up on the horse. His dragon grunted, but didn't lift its head from where it was burrowing its head in Nico's neck. "Then we'll keep searching for someone that the dragon feels is worthy," Poseidon finally whispered, climbing onto the horse behind Nico.

* * *

Fascinated brown eyes watched as the red dragon crawling on the tree branch spread its wings. It glided off the tree and tackled a squirrel that was attempting to forage for nuts. A small smile spread onto Nico's lips as he watched his dragon begin to devour the small creature. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Poseidon sat on the log that Nico was currently crouched behind. "You'll have to remember to make sure he doesn't run around eating people's pets and livestock when he gets older," Poseidon chuckled.

Nico cocked his head to the side. "It's a boy?" He asked.

The elder Dragon Rider nodded. "Yes, and a healthy one at that. He'll make a fine dragon when he grows up."

"How long until I can ride him?"

Poseidon chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "It'll be a few years, boy." He rose to his feet and brushed himself off. "Now then, we need to get moving. We're almost to Mitra."

They had traveled north after leaving the woods. They had traveled through the Gorrian Wastes in order to avoid running into, or being followed by, the king's men. Once they had left the desert, Janus had headed east to get back to his people. Poseidon had taken him west, to Mitra. They had stopped off along a river south of the village in order to rest, but Nico could tell the man was anxious to get back to his family. Nico couldn't really blame the man, seeing as how angry the king probably was, now that both of the dragon eggs were stolen from him.

Nico nodded. He rose to his feet and started walking after Poseidon. His dragon perked its head up and bounded after the boy, part of the squirrel still in its mouth. Nico smiled at him and held out his hand, and the dragon climbed up his arm. Nico wrinkled his nose at the beast as it finished off its meal on his shoulder.

"No more eating on me," he mumbled. He climbed onto the horse and looked down at Poseidon. "He needs a name."

Poseidon nodded and climbed up behind Nico. "Well, what were you thinking?" He asked.

Nico scrunched his lips and turned to look at his dragon. "Is there some sort of tradition or rules for naming your dragon?"

Poseidon spurred the horse and the two were off to the village once again. "Well, your dragon has to accept it. But beyond that, no, there aren't any tradition or rules."

Nico nodded. The dragon crawled down into his lap and curled up. "I'll give it some thought, I guess."

Poseidon nodded and the two fell silent. Nico stared down at his dragon as they rode. He wasn't sure what would be an appropriate name for such a magnificent beast. It wasn't a simple task, like naming a pet. It had to be just right, and it needed to be something that his dragon would like as well.

Poseidon's horse started to slow down, which caused Nico to look up. In the distance, he could see smoke rising from the woods. He felt a chill run down his spine, already knowing what probably waited for them ahead. Poseidon cursed under his breath and rode off towards the village as fast as the horse would take them.

The sun had set by the time they reached Poseidon's farmhouse. Nico stared with wide eyes as the farmhouse went up in flames. Poseidon jumped off the horse and ran up to the house. Nico bit his lip and climbed off to go after his new mentor. He cradled his dragon in his arms as he ran after Poseidon, stopping in the doorway. He raised a hand to shield his face as he peered inside.

"P-Poseidon!" Nico yelled into the burning house.

His eyes widened as Poseidon burst from the smoke and swept Nico up into his arms. He dove through the air just as the house began to collapse, debris shooting through the air. Poseidon rolled in the air so that he took the brunt of the landing when they hit the ground. Nico blinked down at him in surprise.

"They weren't in there," Poseidon whispered. "We need to get to the village. Perhaps I can find them there."

Without giving Nico time to say anything, Poseidon lifted the boy up and carried him back to the horse. He roughly placed Nico on the saddle before climbing up behind him. The horse shot off into the night, though the smell of smoke was still burned into Nico's nostrils.

They traveled to the village, only to find a similar scene. People ran around in panic, while their homes and stores burned to the ground. To Nico's relief, there didn't seem to be any sign of soldiers in the village. The villagers were too busy attempting to put out all of the fires to notice their arrival.

"Stay here," Poseidon ordered as he climbed off the horse. Nico frowned after the man, but did as he was told. He held his dragon a little closer to him as he looked around at the tragic scene in front of him. Poseidon grabbed a muscular man as he was running by. "Delphin, where are my wife and son?"

The man stared back at Poseidon with wide eyes. "T-they...They're over..."

Poseidon's eyes narrowed at the man. "Where are they?" He yelled, shaking him violently. Nico looked up at the sky as a drop of rain hit him on the head. He held his hand out as a steady trickle started to come down.

"Over by the inn."

"Show me," Poseidon growled back at him, shoving the man forward.

Nico glanced around for a few more seconds before taking the reins and going after Poseidon. As he went, a few of the children, who weren't busy helping put out the fires, stared at him and pointed. They began whispering to themselves. Nico paid them no attention, though. He didn't know what they were so interested in, and he didn't have time to figure it out.

He stopped the horse when he spotted Poseidon crouched down in front of what must have been the inn. He climbed off the horse and slowly walked over to the man, his dragon gliding to him and landing in his arms. He peered over Poseidon's shoulder to see a woman's body. She had a sword wound in her stomach and several bruises on her cheek.

As Nico walked closer, he noticed there was a second body in Poseidon's arms, though it was burned beyond recognition. He crouched down next to the grieving man so that he could get a better look. It was the body of a boy, probably around his age, but beyond that, Nico couldn't make any features out.

Nico touched Poseidon's shoulder as the rain started pouring down. There was no reason to say anything, he knew what had happened. A small stone came sailing out of nowhere and hit Poseidon on his cheek. The man growled and looked at the perpetrators; a group of middle-aged men. "They came here looking for you," one of them said.

"And they only were interested in your wife," another one added.

"They were looking for something," said the third.

"What did you do, Poseidon?" The first man growled. His eyes then flickered to Nico. "And who is this?"

"You brought this down on us," a woman voiced.

Poseidon rose to his feet and moved to stand in front of them. Delphin's eyes widened as he stared at Nico. Nico tilted his head to the side as he followed the man's gaze down, his own eyes widening. His dragon was in plain sight, and the man had seen it. The children had probably seen it, too. How could he have been so careless?

"That!" Delphin yelled, scrambling away from Nico and pointing at the black haired boy.

A group of villagers had gathered around them by this point, and they were all now staring at Nico. The boy slowly climbed to his feet. Poseidon frowned at him, but didn't say anything. The dragon in his arms made a raspy sound and perked its head up. It flapped its wings and hissed at the villagers, who began mumbling as they stared at it.

"Is that what I think it is?" The first man from earlier asked. His eyes turned on Poseidon in a glare. "It's because of that thing that our homes were destroyed."

"He's a Rider," someone whispered from the crowd.

"And the king would pay handsomely for him," Delphin mumbled.

Poseidon pushed Nico behind him as they slowly backed towards their horse. "Dragon Riders were once the keepers of peace in the land. Or have you all forgotten? They protected us once."

"Before they killed each other for power!" Someone yelled.

"And now it's starting again!" Another added.

"We wouldn't need protection in the first place, if it wasn't for him!" A woman yelled, throwing a stick at Poseidon.

As the crowd began to descend upon them, Poseidon drew his sword and swung it to keep some distance between them and the mob. Nico quickly climbed onto the horse and held his dragon close to his chest. Poseidon swung a final time before jumping onto the horse and spurring it away from the village.

They didn't stop riding until they were back at the burned down farmhouse. Nico pursed his lips as he looked up at the man sitting behind him. Poseidon silently stared at his old home, a look of devastation on his face. "I'm sorry," Nico whispered.

The man didn't reply, he simply put a hand on Nico's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The rain was coming down very hard as they sat there on the horse, both of them soaked from head to toe. The man climbed off of the horse and walked over to his destroyed home. He gently placed his hand on the doorframe before collapsing to his knees. Nico watched on as the man buried his face into his palms and began to cry.

Nico couldn't even imagine what the man was going through. He had never known his mother, and his father had died shortly after he was born, so he had never really had a family. The closest thing he would have had was Kronos, and that man had been anything but a father to him.

Nico quietly dismounted from the horse. He lifted his dragon and let it climb onto his shoulder as he walked over to the broken man. The price had been paid for their actions. The king had brought down his wrath upon his country, all to look for two dragon eggs. And from the looks of things, he may have gotten his hands on one of them.

Poseidon let his hand fall from the wood and began to stand up. He walked to Nico's side and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We have to be careful now," the man whispered. "Everything now rests on you and your dragon, Nico."

The red dragon on Nico's shoulder growled and curled itself up, placing his wings over his head. Nico let out a sigh as he stared at his partner. "Cerberus," Nico whispered.

Poseidon blinked and looked down at him. "Hmm?"

"His name. His name is Cerberus." Nico felt a tingling run through his body and his eyes briefly flashed red. He smiled to himself, knowing that the dragon must have approved of the name.

"A fine name," Poseidon whispered. Nico looked up at him, and even in the rain, he could see tears in the man's eyes. He looked at the man in concern, but Poseidon looked away from Nico. He stared up at the sky for a moment before shutting his eyes, letting the rain hit his face. "I suppose we'll need to get started on your training immediately. You will train every day. Your life will revolve around learning what you need to know in order to be our greatest champion. Word is going to spread of a new Dragon Rider, and I want you to be ready for the battles that await you."

Nico slowly nodded. He stared up at the sky himself, a frown finding its way onto his face. "I'm going to have to fight Kronos when I'm older, aren't I?" He whispered.

"Yes." Poseidon opened his eyes and stared down into Nico's brown ones. "But don't worry about that right now. Come, we have much work to do. You are our last hope. A new Dragon Rider has been born, and one day, people will tell great tales of you, Nico. But for now, this is where your legend truly begins."

* * *

Percy found himself sitting in a grassy field, the wind blowing gently against his face. He climbed to his feet and looked around. A playful growl came from the grass just as his small blue and white dragon flew onto his shoulders. He blinked at it and it nuzzled against his cheek. He glanced around at his surroundings, frowning as he saw something shiny in the distance.

He walked for what felt like hours before coming to a circle of white bubbles. He leaned in closer to peer inside of one, his eyes widening at it. Inside, he saw himself, but older. He weaved the mightiest spells to defeat his enemies. He had become the most powerful magic user in all Elysia. Everyone bowed before him. And beside him, stood his dragon, tall and mighty. He slowly reached out and touched the bubble, quiet whispers filling his mind.

A bright light encompassed him and everything around him. When he opened his eyes to look around, he found that he was now standing in a ruined city. He took a few steps before stopping. He stared up at the ruined buildings. Some of the buildings looked like they had been very tall, and the city itself looked like it had once been magnificent.

His dragon took off walking a few paces ahead of him. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the beast. Did it seem bigger? He shook his head. He was probably just imagining things. "You need a name," he said, placing his hands on his hips.

The dragon stopped and cocked its head up at him. Percy sat down and crossed his legs. The dragon bounded over to him and curled up in his lap. Percy tapped a finger to his lips as he stared at the dragon. What was a good dragon name anyways? Percy suddenly winced and clutched his forehead.

The dragon blinked up at him innocently as Percy began to frown. A name slowly drifted into Percy's mind. "Did you..." He whispered. "Anaklusma? Is that the name you want?" The dragon sat up and spread its wings while making a raspy noise. Percy shrugged. "Alright, I guess. So, you're a girl dragon?" The dragon bounced up and down in his lap.

Percy chuckled and stood up, placing the dragon on his shoulder. He frowned at it for a few seconds. It did feel slightly heavier. That was certainly odd. Percy shrugged and began walking again. He came to an open space, where he found more bubbles, this time green. Percy walked up to one and peered inside it.

This time, he saw himself clad in black armor. He sat on a dark throne, a sword in his right hand. Curled around his throne, lay Anaklusma. The dragon, like in the last bubble, was giant. Percy, however, still appeared to be young. Before him, everyone bowed down. Any that stood against him were destroyed by him and his dragon. No one would oppose him, and none would ever be greater than him.

He reached out and gently touched the bubble, causing a rippling on its surface. More whispers filled his mind as the bubble began to glow. In another flash, Percy found himself in a desert. He looked around, but all he saw was desert. And while the sun blared down on him and his dragon from the sky, he felt no heat. He yelled to see if anyone was around, only to be met with silence.

He finally sighed and looked down at Anaklusma, only to have to lift his gaze. Had she always come up to his chest? She must have. It was probably nothing for him to worry about. He heard a low humming and turned around to find more bubbles, this time black. His eyes widened as the ground seemed to move underneath him, bringing him to stand in the center of the bubbles. He stared at the one directly in front of him and peered into its surface.

This time he saw a tall tower. The image zoomed up to the top and entered a window, where he found a circular room with chairs placed in a circle towards the center of the room. In the tallest of the chairs, sat Percy, clad in shiny armor and a cloak. Power coursed through every part of his body and his eyes glowed, one blue and the other white.

He reached out and touched the bubble, once again being enveloped by a bright light. As the light faded, Percy lifted his head and peered around at his surroundings. Ahead of him, there was nothing but endless beach, and the same could be said about the path behind him. To his right was a deep forest, which extended down onto the sandy beach, and went on forever in either direction, just like the beach. To his left was a black ocean, which went on forever, just as everything else seemed to do.

He blinked as he was nudged from behind. He spun around and put on a playful scowl as he stared at his dragon, who had to lower its head to stare him in the eye. It wasn't much bigger than him, only about an inch or two taller. "Don't shove, Anaklusma?" Percy said, fighting off a smile.

The blue and white dragon let out a hollow melody as it circled Percy before looking around. She walked up to one of many silver bubbles that were floating around the beach. Percy smiled and walked up beside her.

"Is this the one we should touch next?" He asked with a chuckle.

_"Perhaps our next location will be less gloomy,"_ Anaklusma's thoughts came into his head. He smiled and peered inside the silver bubble.

Inside, he saw himself sitting on the back of a giant-sized Anaklusma, with a glowing sword in his hand. His dragon roared to the heavens before diving off the side of the mountain and soaring through the air. Wherever he went, light followed behind him, bringing prosperity to all who lived in the land.

Percy's fingers slowly reached out and came in contact with the glowing silver orb. He shut his eyes as whispers filled his head. There was a bright flash, and the next thing the boy and his dragon knew, they were standing in a frozen wasteland. "Well, so much for a less gloomy location," he mumbled.

Anaklusma snorted her agreement and let out a puff of smoke. He smiled warmly at the dragon as the two walked through the frozen land. The green-eyed boy scratched his head as he looked around. There didn't seem to be any people around. However, there were some old ruins he could spot under some of the snow, as well as a frozen lake. The bubbles, which seemed to be in every place he went, were now a fiery red color. The strange thing, though, was the fact that even though they were in a frozen wasteland, it wasn't cold.

He frowned when he felt a tugging sensation in his stomach. The snow suddenly started shooting into the sky and spinning. In the distance, the scenery began to fade from existence. In the back of Percy's mind, he thought he heard his name being called, but he paid it little attention. As the ground started to vanish beneath his feet, Percy made a dive for one of the orbs. He let out a loud scream as he began falling into the dark abyss below him.

Percy's eyes snapped open as he sat up, groaning when several of his bones popped in the process. He couldn't see much, due to the fact that his bangs were, strangely, hanging down past his mouth. He reached back with a frown, and felt that his hair was now reaching down to the middle of his back. And that was when he finally looked down at himself.

His ankles were sticking out from the bottom of his now dirty trousers. His shirt had seemed to have shrunk on him as well. He finally stared at his hands, to find that they had gotten bigger. He stared in confusion at the rest of his body. A deep growling noise broke him out of his thoughts.

He turned just as Anaklusma's head rose off the ground. She still looked normal, standing just over Percy's head. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think. What happened to him? Everything had fit when he was in the snow. Or had he been there? His head tilted to the side. Had he even gone to those places? How had he gotten here in the first place?

Where were his parents? He blinked a few times. What were parents? Where had he come from before he had gotten here? Did he have a home? Did he have anyone? Was this all just another dream? He couldn't remember anything clearly. Everything just blurred together in his mind. He slowly climbed to his feet, stumbling a few times.

He frowned as his bangs kept blocking his view. "I need to ask mom for a haircut," he whispered and then blinked. Mother? His eyes shifted back and forth as he tried to put a face with the word, but only came up empty.

He began stumbling through the forest, his dragon tagging along behind him. He wobbled a few times and his hand drifted up to touch his temple. He glanced down at his pants from time to time, only to frown. How much had he grown? How long had he been asleep? Was he even awake now? Perhaps this was also a dream. Maybe everything he had known before waking up back there had been a dream. Maybe he had always been asleep.

He hissed under his breath as he and Anaklusma exited the woods, the sun beating down on them. He nearly fell forward, but his dragon caught him with her neck. _"You are weak, Percy. Let me go find you food,"_ she said.

Percy nodded and the dragon took off into the sky. He frowned as he kept moving forward. He slowly made his way in front of a burned down home. The crops outside had all withered and died, and all of the stables were empty. He frowned as he looked at the wreckage that used to be a home. Why did it seem so familiar?

"H-Home," Percy croaked out. He cleared his throat and peered inside through a broken window. When he spotted nothing of interest, he pulled away. He frowned at the horizon, where he spotted smoke rising in the distance.

He made his way into the village, where he found the source of the smoke: a blacksmith. He got a lot of looks from the villagers, who whispered to each other as they stared. He stepped inside the blacksmith shop, where he found a man beating on an anvil.

"Excuse me," Percy said weakly.

The man stopped pounding the blade that rested on the anvil and turned to stare at him. "Well hello, young man," he said before finally looking Percy over. "Where exactly did you come from, lad?"

Percy stared at the ground in frustration. He tried thinking about it, but he couldn't come up with an answer. Was this his home? Had that burned down farm really been his home? It seemed just like another dream to him. "I don't remember," he mumbled.

The blacksmith frowned and looked around outside his shop. "And where are your parents?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't remember."

"How old are you?"

Once again, Percy shrugged. "I don't know. I thought... I thought I was ten."

The blacksmith stroked his beard. "Look a little old to be ten, son." He then gave Percy an odd look. "Are you from around here, boy? There's something strangely familiar about you."

Percy ignored the question. He looked behind him and glanced outside. While the village looked nice for the most part, he found some buildings were laying in ruin, just like the farm he had found. "What happened to this place?"

The blacksmith came to stand beside him. "Well, about three years ago, the village was burned to the ground. It was a pretty horrible mess. The king's army came looking for something, or someone." The man shook his head. "We had a few casualties, but nothing major. And it was all that damned boy's fault."

"Boy?"

The blacksmith nodded. "You might think I'm thick in the head, but I know what I saw. The kid had a dragon in his arms."

Percy's eyes flickered back to the large man with a new interest. "A dragon?"

The blacksmith nodded. "Stolen from the king himself. And now, you hear about all these rumors of a new Dragon Rider having appeared. I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen the beast with my own eyes." He let out a grunt. "But he disappeared that night, and, to be honest, I was hoping the king would have caught the boy and beast. It's their fault we had to suffer in the first place."

"This place, what's it called?" Percy asked, glancing back at the village.

The man blinked down at him in surprise. "This? This is Mitra," he chuckled. "Where in the blazes did you wander in from, lad?" He let out a sigh. "Perhaps I shouldn't be angry with the boy, though. It was that damned Poseidon, getting involved with those rebels. It was his own doing that got his wife and son killed."

Percy frowned as his brows furrowed. "Poseidon," he said, letting the name roll off his tongue. It was familiar to him somehow.

The blacksmith nodded. "Aye. The poor woman had been so distraught over her missing son, but I guess she found the kid before the soldiers got the two of them. Yep, we found the poor boy's body lying next to his mother's."

_"Percy, come back to the woods. I have food,"_ Anaklusma's voice filled his head.

Without saying anything to the man, Percy walked out of the blacksmith shop. The man scratched his chin as he watched the boy go, but shrugged and went back to work. Percy walked towards the edge of the village, receiving more looks from the villagers.

When he finally reached the destroyed farm, he found his dragon with a cow in her mouth. "Where did you get that?" He asked.

_"Roaming around in a field,"_ the dragon replied. _"Odd, though, the creature and its kin were in this strange wooden enclosure."_

Percy shrugged as he stared down at it. "Must have gotten trapped there." He glanced down at the dead animal and made a face. "I can't eat this." He scratched the back of his neck. When was the last time he had eaten?

Anaklusma's head shot up and looked around, growling. _"Someone approaches,"_ she hissed. The blue and white dragon wrapped herself around Percy. Percy slowly poked his head out from around Anaklusma's neck to find a woman standing in front of them.

She was a tall woman, standing around six foot tall. Her black hair was long and straight, reaching down to her waist. She wore no shoes, and it seemed like the grass beneath her feet became more vibrant wherever she stepped. She had on a slim-fitting deep green dress that strapped itself around her neck, and showed off a hint of her breasts. Two golden bangles wrapped around her upper arms, and she also wore a small golden circlet that bore an emerald in the center of it. She wore a stern expression on her face as she stared down at Percy. Her lips were a beautiful shade of red and she had long pointed nails. Her eyes were the most striking thing about her, though. They were completely green, except for two black slits that resided within them.

Percy's breathing had turned ragged as he stared at her, and he was now aware that he was shaking as he looked at her. Anaklusma had stopped growling, and had ended up lying down on the ground. "Welcome back, young Perseus," the woman said, her voice like a soothing melody.

"Wh-who are you?" Percy asked.

"I am Gaea, and I have come for you, young Dragon Rider."

Percy pointed a finger at himself. "Me?"

Gaea stared down at him with a slight look of disdain, as if she were slightly bothered by his presence. "Yes, you." She walked forward and gestured to the burned down home. "As you can see, your life here is gone. Your home is destroyed, your family is gone, and you are now alone. Your mother is dead, and your father has given up looking for you. What reason do you have to stay?"

"And you want to help me?"

Gaea placed a hand on his head, frowning as she felt his dirty hair. "Humans," she muttered under her breath. "Yes. I have a new home for you and your dragon. And I can help you on the path to becoming a Rider." The black slits of her eyes thinned. "Though, it will be done my way."

"What-what are you?"

_"She's a dragon, Percy,"_ Anaklusma hissed.

Gaea cut her eyes over to Percy's dragon, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Yes, that is what I am."

"You don't look like a dragon," Percy mumbled.

"No, I suppose I don't." She held her hand out in front of Percy. "So, do we have an agreement? I will teach you all that you will need to know about being a Rider, if you promise to meet my wishes when the time comes."

Percy reached out, but stopped before he took her hand. "You're not going to tell me your end of the terms?" He asked.

Gaea stared down at him with a frightening stare. "You will learn them in time," she said softly. "But you are the reason this village was attacked, and you will constantly be in danger if you stay here. Come with me, and you'll be in the safest place imaginable."

Percy frowned, but took the supposed dragon's hand. Gaea smiled and nodded. "Now what?" Percy asked.

Gaea release his hand and walked off a few feet. "Now, we leave. I'd advise you to stand back."

Percy's eyes widened as light and shadow began swirling around the tall woman. He stumbled backwards until he fell down. A giant head, attached to a long neck, rose from the vortex. Giant wings, that looked like they could blot out the sun, spread out across the sky. A giant green claw came to rest in front of Percy, shaking the very ground around him. Dark green scales covered the massive creature's body, while two large brown horns rose from its skull. The giant dragon's head lowered to stare him in the face. His eyes widened as Gaea's green eyes stared back at him.

"Y-you're a dragon!" He exclaimed.

The dragon rose back to its full height, letting out a roar so loud that Percy had to cover his ears. _"I am an elder dragon, young Rider! I am Gaea, the mother of all dragons. I am the first and eldest," _came Gaea's booming voice in Percy's head. _"And I have a use for you, little one, so do not disappoint me."_

Percy nodded his head with an audible gulp. Gaea swept her tail over to Percy and wrapped it around him. He let out a yelp as he was picked up and placed on her back. Her scales were much thicker than Anaklusma's, as they looked more like giant fragments of plate armor than scales. The thick scales shifted slightly until he was able to wrap his arms around one. Percy was so tiny compared to her. His body barely managed to cover just one of her many scales. With her massive size, she could probably have crushed his old farm under one of her claws.

_"Do hold on,"_ Gaea said before shooting away from the ground. Percy looked down with wide eyes as he watched the gusts from Gaea's wings blow the wreckage of his old house over. Anaklusma snorted smoke before flapping her wings and soaring into the air after them.

Percy's heart sped up as he watched the ground grow farther and farther away from them. Soon, they were soaring amongst the clouds. "Where are we going?" Percy yelled over the roaring winds.

_"Home," _Gaea said simply. _"You've been asleep for three years, young Rider, and it will be several more years before you see the world of men again. Dragons will be your companions now, and you will learn our ways."_

Percy let out a shaky breath as he looked back down. He looked over at his dragon, who let out a playful growl. He sighed and rested his head against Gaea's massive back, where his eyes slowly drifted closed.

* * *

Poseidon walked back into the campsite and deposited a few pieces of wood near an extinguished fire. He sighed and looked around before rolling his eyes. He walked up to a red boulder and kicked it with his boot. A deep growling sound echoed from the boulder before a neck unwrapped itself from the rest of the mass.

A red dragon stared at Poseidon with deeper red eyes, its black slits thinned to the extreme, expressing its displeasure at being woken up. It was pure red, except for the black horns growing out of its skull. It blew a puff of smoke at Poseidon's face before laying its head back down.

"Good morning to you too, Cerberus," Poseidon chuckled. "Now, if you don't mind, I need your Rider."

Cerberus snorted, releasing another puff of smoke along the ground and lifted his wing. A teenaged boy with shaggy black hair that hung down just above his brown eyes was curled up under the wing. He glared up at Poseidon before covering his eyes with his arm. "Traitor," he mumbled.

_"He wanted you, which meant I get to sleep longer," _Cerberus said.

Nico grinned wickedly as he stretched his arms above his head. "I don't suppose Cerberus could do something, too? I mean, if he just sits around all day, he'll probably end up getting fat," Nico said.

Cerberus's head shot off the ground, his black slits thinning as he glared at his Rider. _"You will pay most dearly for that."_

Nico shrugged with a smirk. "Next time, you'll think twice about giving up my location."

Poseidon stared at the two of them. "What I wouldn't give to hear a dragon's thoughts again," he whispered.

Nico blinked at the older man as he placed a hand on Cerberus's snout. "I'm sorry."

Poseidon shook his head. "No, you have nothing to be sorry about. Just remember to always cherish your dragon. He chose you, and your bond is not to be taken lightly."

Nico frowned as Poseidon walked off. "What are we doing today?" He asked.

"Today, we meet the Popularis," Poseidon answered.

Nico blinked at the man a few times, trying to see if he had heard right. "As in the rebels?"

Poseidon kneeled down to pack up some of their belongings. "Yes, that would be them. Just remember what I said, your dragon must behave himself while we are there."

Nico nodded and looked back at Cerberus, who blew a puff of smoke. _"Maybe just a little chaos?" _The dragon said, showing off his sharp fangs.

Nico rolled his eyes. He turned back to Poseidon with a frown. They had been traveling together for the past three years, and the man had become more of a father than Kronos had ever tried to be to him. He had never known his actual father, so he had nothing really to go on for what made a good one.

But for the past three years, the three of them had been hiding. Poseidon would take Nico into villages sometimes, but Cerberus would always have to stay hidden. But, most of Nico's time was spent learning about magic and sword fighting. Poseidon had said that it would be his life for six whole years, until he reached sixteen. The man had never said anything else beyond that, and Nico wondered what would happen when he did reach sixteen.

Nico yelped as his legs were pulled out from under him. He scowled up at Cerberus, who puffed smoke at him. _"You get lost in your thoughts very easily. You could have been overrun by enemies while you are off in your own little world," _came the dragon's laughing thoughts.

Nico grumbled and got back on his feet. Nico grabbed a short sword that Poseidon had bought him and strapped it to his belt. He growled as his cloak was tossed onto his head. He scowled at Poseidon as he put the piece of cloth on, not bothering to put the hood onto his head. He grabbed his bow and quiver and strapped them to his back.

"Cerberus can stick to the skies for now. You can call for him when we arrive," Poseidon instructed.

Nico turned to his dragon and nodded. The dragon grunted and soared into the air. Nico sighed as he began walking after Poseidon. Nico wondered why the rebels finally wanted to meet him. He also wondered how they would react upon seeing him. Surely they knew who he was by now, right? It seemed like his name had begun spreading lately. Over the past year, especially, he would overhear his name in the villages they would stop off at.

Kronos was not happy that Nico had escaped his clutches, and with his dragon egg to top it off. And, sometimes, it just wasn't easy to hide a dragon. So, word had ended up spreading rather quickly that a new Rider had appeared. And worse for Nico, the king had put out a bounty on him.

"Keep up, Nico," Poseidon said, breaking Nico from his thoughts.

The thirteen year old frowned and looked up the steep path at his mentor. "Sorry," he apologized. "Just thinking about word spreading about me."

Poseidon reached out and helped Nico climb up a ledge. "Well, I feel it will only get worse as you get older. You're just now capable of really fighting, and over the next few years, you'll probably do nothing but make a name for yourself."

Nico stared in awe at the beautiful valley that lay before them. A lake sat in the center of it, with a few trees spread out around it. Past that, more mountains rose in the distance. "And this is where we'll find the Popularis?" Nico asked doubtfully.

Poseidon clapped Nico on the back. "What better place to hide than in the mountains?"

"Well, the king does have a dragon."

Poseidon shrugged and proceeded to walk down a worn path. "True, but he can't hope to take them with his dragon alone. His troops would have a disastrous time trying to navigate these mountains. No, the rebels have the advantage here. It'll also be a good place to hide your dragon. He can hide in their city, and take to the sky when he wants to go hunting."

Nico nodded, following close behind the taller man. "They won't, like, kill me when we arrive, will they?" Nico asked, biting down on his lip.

Poseidon chuckled and slung his arm around Nico's shoulders. "No, dear boy, you'll be fine. They want you on their side." He grew serious as he looked Nico in the eye. "They need you to have a hope of winning this war. Now that the other egg is gone, you are Elysia's last hope."

Nico grew bored as they finally managed to reach the lake. He stared up at Cerberus, who was circling above them. "So, tell me more about dragons," he finally said.

Poseidon smiled. "What else do you want to know?"

"Tell me again about our connection to them."

Poseidon's eyes closed, but his smile remained. "Your magic comes from your dragon. He is your friend, the one that you can rely on no matter what. Riders and their dragons are partners. The Riders' dragons are always raised by their Rider from the moment they hatch. They choose their Rider. Yours was one of only two that remained after the Rider Civil War."

Nico frowned up at the man. "What, uh, happened to your dragon?" He asked nervously.

"She was killed," Poseidon whispered. "And so my bond was broken." He opened his eyes and looked at Nico with sad green eyes. "Always cherish your dragon." He let out a sigh as they pressed onwards. "Anything else?"

"How long do they live for?"

Poseidon's smile returned. His eyes flashed with joy. Nico smiled up at the man. He always enjoyed hearing Poseidon tell his tales, and it helped that the man looked happier when he spoke of such things. "Dragons are immortal, and because of that, you are immortal, too."

Nico's eyes widened. "I am?" He asked, looking himself over.

Poseidon nodded. "Yes. Dragon Riders stop aging at sixteen." He smiled to himself. "Our entire ruling council was ruled by men and women that were thousands of years old, but looked like they were teenage boys and girls."

Nico glanced up to Poseidon's hair. A few grey strands were starting to come in, and the man's face had adopted a few wrinkles. "But...you're..." he trailed off, biting his tongue to prevent further embarrassment.

The older man chuckled at him. "No, I don't look sixteen." He sighed and rubbed his beard. "I age because my dragon is dead, the bond broken. Your dragon can live on if you die, but you lose so much when you lose your dragon."

Nico wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling cold. He glanced up at Cerberus with a frown. _"I'm not going anywhere, boy," _the red dragon assured him.

Poseidon suddenly came to a stop in front of a cliff, with a waterfall on the other side. "Here we are," he stated. He grinned at Nico before diving into the water below. Nico walked up to the ledge and groaned. Of course the entrance wouldn't be something simple. He sighed and fell backwards over the ledge.

He blinked around under the water, trying to find Poseidon, but had no luck. He felt a tug on his cloak and was pulled towards the surface. He gasped for breath before turning to face Poseidon. "I prefer the sky to the water," Nico grumbled.

Poseidon chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid we have to go back down. Stay close," the green-eyed man instructed.

Nico sighed and dove back under the water. He swam after Poseidon, who went deeper into the dark water. They swam through a narrow cave, which left very little room for movement. They broke surface momentarily as the cave rose upwards before diving back down and following the underwater cave around a curve.

They finally broke surface a second time, both of them gasping for breath. Nico's eyes widened as spears were lowered in front of their faces. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Janus push through the armed men. He wore the same silver chainmail as the last time Nico had laid eyes on him. A second man, several inches taller than Janus, emerged from the crowd as well. Poseidon climbed out of the pool with help from Janus. The old Dragon Rider clasped hands with the tall man, while Nico managed climbing out of the water on his own.

Tall was an exaggeration. The man had nearly an entire head over Poseidon, and Poseidon was a very tall man. Like the rest of the men, he too wore chainmail, but his was made of gold. Unlike the others, though, he did not have any covering his head. He had bushy eyebrows, intense brown eyes, and a scruffy beard. He had his brown hair drawn back in a short ponytail.

"Chiron, I'm glad to see you again," Poseidon greeted the tall man. He stepped aside and ushered Nico up to the golden-clad man.

Chiron eyed Nico with a frown, rubbing at his beard gently. "I am not pleased with having the son of the traitor in my midst, but I do welcome you as a Dragon Rider," he said, though he did not hold out his hand for Nico.

"A child does not choose his father," Nico mumbled.

"That may be true, but you were also the king's ward for ten years. I will be keeping an eye on you."

Nico stared back at him defiantly. "I have nothing to hide."

Poseidon cleared his throat. "What is the news you had for us?" The man asked in an attempt to clear the air.

Chiron looked away from Nico's dark eyes and met Poseidon's. "It seems we are gaining support. With a Rider on our side, Rosalia has offered us support," the tall man stated.

"I suppose that's good. But what's the catch?"

Chiron grunted and gestured for them to walk. "That is the catch. Nico. They want him just as much as we do. Everyone, including the king, wants to get their hands on him. He's valuable. He's the only Rider left with a dragon, besides the king."

Nico stopped for a moment as they came through a cave opening. His eyes widened as he gawked up at the city that lay before him. Everything was built into the very stone, rising high above them. He peered over a ledge to find a river running below them, along with some buildings built normally on the dirt.

Chiron came to a stop. "Speaking of dragons, call yours," he told Nico.

Nico's eyes briefly flashed red before he cast his eyes to the sky. The mountains opened up above them, casting the sun's light down on top of them. A loud roar came from overhead, and seconds later, Cerberus came swooping down into the rebel city. With a flap of his wings, he landed next to Nico. He barred his fangs and growled at Chiron, but Nico placed his hand on the dragon's snout to calm him down.

"He's fine," Nico assured Cerberus. Cerberus grunted and lifted his head.

Chiron stared at the beast with a smile on his face. "Amazing," he whispered.

Nico, Poseidon, and Chiron turned their head as some people started trying to push their way through the guards in order to get a better look at the red dragon now standing in their city. Nico blinked several times at a girl around his age that had made her way to the front of the crowd.

She had shoulder-length black hair and electric blue eyes. Freckles dotted her nose and she looked to be around Nico's height. She had pale skin, which Nico thought was very pretty. Unlike most girls Nico came across, she dressed more like a boy. She smiled at him, causing Nico's cheeks to tinge pink. He kicked the ground and looked away as she giggled at him. Next to her, a blond boy was debating what he wanted to focus his attention on, the girl and Nico's interaction or the dragon that stood in front of him.

Chiron glanced back at Poseidon and Nico. "Well then, let me welcome you to Valterossa."

_So what did you guys think? I just wanted to do a fic with warriors riding dragons. Bragi and I were talking about Tale, and I mentioned it happening in that story, and he said if I wanted to have dragon riders, I should just make an entire new fic. I don't think he was being serious, but I went with it anyways._

_Also, when Percy's eyes change colors, it sucks. I feel like I always have to state that one is blue and the other is white. Also, just to be clear, they aren't always that color. I made the concept of Riders' eyes changing colors when they use magic. I'm also trying to make two separate personalities for Percy and Nico's dragons. I want their sense of humor to be different. Anyways, let me know your thoughts, and I'll see you guys later._


	2. Chapter 2

_Second chapter, finally here. Before you get to Nico's part, let me reiterate that this is a Percy and Nico pairing story. You'll understand why I'm stating this when you get to Nico's part. So they will get together. Usually my first chapters are shorter than my normal chapters, but this one is actually shorter than the opening chapter. Again, the first chapter was two chapters smushed together. And I hope you enjoy the distinctions between the two dragons in this. I'm sure you'll also enjoy Percy in this story. Anyways, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted this. I now present the next chapter._

_Warning: Slash. Language. Alcohol. Implied sex._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Beta'd by Bragi_

Chapter 2

Percy peered over a bush, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He gripped his spear tight as he watched his prey stalk through the deep forest. It let out a low growling sound as it stalked ahead, its tail swaying and hissing in the air. The mighty chimera. Percy rolled out of the bushes and sliced at its bird-like feet. Its lion head bared its teeth at him.

The beast pounced and Percy raised his spear. He blocked the beast's talons with the shaft of his spear and kicked his foot into its chest. He vaulted the chimera over his body, where it landed roughly against a rocky cliffside. Percy smiled and ran over to it, raising his spear to drive it into the creature.

A faint hissing noise came from behind him. He froze and spun around in the blink of an eye to grab the chimera's tail before it bit him. He sliced the tip of his spear through the tail and tossed it to the ground. He turned back around, only to be kicked by the beast's goat-like legs.

Percy bounced across the ground. He rolled onto his back with a groan. He felt his chest to make sure he was all right, sighing in relief when he found that he was. He leapt back to his feet and spun his spear in his hands with a smirk.

The beast roared at him before charging right at him. He held out his hand and yelled, "Scutum Terrae!" His eyes changed to blue and white as he spoke.

He kneeled down and raised his arm out in front of him as if he were blocking with a shield. The earth shot up in front of him and hardened. The chimera collided with the wall of earth and was knocked onto its back. The earth crumbled back to its original state and Percy rose to his feet, his eyes turning back to their normal sea-green color. He walked over to the beast, which growled at him right before he sank his spear into its body.

He smirked and walked back the bush that he had been hiding behind. He pulled out a large satchel and walked back to his kill. He pulled out a knife from his waist and began the process of skinning the mighty beast. His hand froze when he a flapping sound.

He slowly turned his head around to see several gryphons perched in the trees. He quickly grabbed his sword and stood back to his feet. Several of the gryphons cawed at him before they flew from their perches. Percy was about to raise his hand to cast a spell, when a thundering roar echoed through the area.

Fire rained down on the flying beasts, all of them tumbling to the ground. A large blue and white dragon soared down from the sky and circled around Percy, growling at the remaining gryphons. Not needing any further warning, the beasts flew off.

Percy frowned and thrust his sword into the ground, returning to his task of skinning the chimera. "I could have taken them," he grumbled.

Anaklusma snorted, smoke shooting out of her nostrils. She now towered over Percy, able to pluck him up with a single talon. Her horns had grown longer, and the ends were sharp points. _"Of course you could have," _the dragon said skeptically.

Percy rolled his eyes at his dragon as it went about devouring one of dead gryphons. He threw pieces of the chimera into his satchel to take back home to cook. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and glanced up to the sky. Mons Draconum could be seen anywhere on the island, as it was the largest mountain, or structure, on the continent.

"How did the others do?" Percy decided to ask, looking away from the large mountain.

_"The hunt went well," _Anaklusma replied. _"As soon as you are done skinning your kill, we can head back."_

Percy frowned at his kill. "I'm sorry that I can't eat my food whole."

The dragon chuckled in his head as her head drifted around his shoulder. "_Poor, Rider, he talks and acts like a dragon, but he is not one."_

Percy blew at his bangs, deciding to ignore his dragon. He finished gathering all the meat that he could get from the beast before putting the satchel over his shoulder. Anaklusma lowered herself to the ground, allowing Percy to climb on her back. The dragon crawled over to the dead gryphons and picked two up in her claws.

With a flap of her wings, the large dragon shot into the air, sailing towards Mons Draconum at rapid speed. As they approached, Anaklusma flew towards a large opening in the mountain side. They flew in a circle around the inside of the mountain. Percy glanced down at the torchlit interior city. The city went all the way from the top peak of the mountain, and descended for miles under the earth. This was his home. Mons Draconum, the capital city of the dragons.

Large statues of dragons, men, animals, and everything imaginable were displayed from the moment someone entered the city, and went on the deeper one went. Gold and jewels sat around in piles, treasure chests, and were even crafted into various shapes and statues. Everything was crafted to absolute perfection and beauty. Pillars rose from deep within the city, and rose all the way up to the peak of the mountain. Obsidian with gold carvings was used to create platforms, paths, and stairs; creating level after level of the vast city under the mountain.

Dragons made their homes everywhere around the inside of the mountain. Forges were set up in the lower levels, and one was even overlooking a pit of lava. The dragons had burrowed deep into the earth, searching for the vast riches of the island. The forges would then take the jewels and metals to create artwork that would be emblazoned into the very stone of the mountain. Some of the richer metals would be used to craft some jewelry and clothing, something that no human civilization could ever hope to accomplish. Percy's own clothing was made of mithril, a metal nearly as hard as dragon scale. Yet, Percy's clothes always felt soft to the touch and light as a feather.

It was in the craft. It took a mixture of old magic and dragon's breath to accomplish such a feat. And Percy was proud to say that he was able to craft such things. He fiddled with a large golden necklace that hung from Anaklusma's neck. So what if he spoiled his dragon with nice things? Dragons liked the stuff, the shinier the better. They used the riches of the earth for beds, and would sometimes even carry around a shiny object to stare at in their spare time.

Anaklusma finally landed in one of the lower levels. Percy was thankful for how big the mountain actually was. It allowed for him to actually have space to walk around, instead of having to hug ledges to get from place to place.

As soon as Percy was off his dragon's back, he was tackled by a tan and blond blur. "Percy!" Came a seductive and predatory voice from above him.

Bright blue eyes stared down at him, his black slits currently wide. Blond curls sat on top of his head, as radiant and vibrant as the very gold that they harvested. He had a lean and tan body, one that Percy had become intimately familiar with over the years. The dragon in human form smiled at him, revealing a smile that could put pearls to shame. A bronze shirt hung from his torso, while obsidian pants clung to his legs.

Percy chuckled as the blond leaned down and rubbed his cheek against Percy's. "I was only gone for a few hours, Apollo," he laughed.

The blond's slits narrowed. "But you were gone when I woke up," the blond growled predatorily. He pressed his knee into Percy's crotch. "I have needs in the morning too, you know."

Anaklusma puffed smoke at Apollo's face. _"_Please refrain from defiling my Rider in my presence," she said out-loud in the old tongue of dragons.

Percy shrugged up at Apollo. "Rules are rules, Apollo," he chuckled.

Apollo sat back, his ass pressing against Percy's crotch. He pouted up at the blue and white dragon. "You're no fun, Anaklusma," the blond said in a deep voice, drifting into his native tongue. The two dragons began to growl at each other, and Percy noticed Apollo's nails starting to elongate.

He quickly cleared his throat. "We can make time later, ok?" Percy assured him.

Smoke shot out of Apollo's nostrils as he climbed off of Percy's body. While it was common for dragons to fight to settle disputes, Percy didn't really want Anaklusma to go brawling with an elder dragon, especially one of Gaea's older children. Percy climbed up and captured the blond's lips with his own.

"I'll try and make you something at the forge to make up for it," he growled.

The blond's eyes lit up. He nodded his head and began walking off, grinning back at Percy's dragon as he went. _"I like him," _Anaklusma told Percy.

Percy chuckled. The two of them headed off to the forge that Percy worked at. "That's because you think he's attractive, and he is more than willing to butt heads with you."

The dragon grunted. _"He looks better in his true form."_

"Well, that would be a little awkward for me when we had sex."

Anaklusma growled at him. "_It's not always about your needs."_

Percy rolled his eyes as they arrived at the large forge, the heat already hitting Percy in the face. He turned around to face the large dragon, smiling up at her. "You go have fun. I'll catch up to you later," he said. He pulled the satchel from his shoulder, and the dragon picked it up in her talon. She got a grip on the two gryphons she still carried and soared into the air.

Percy walked into the forge. A muscular young man stood at the anvil, working on his craft. He had short brown hair and red eyes, with black slits within them. He had a muscular jaw and large hands. A hint of chest hair stuck out from the top of his golden tunic.

"Morning, Jake," Percy greeted him, grabbing a hammer from a nearby table.

The elder dragon nodded at him, his eyes trained on forging a shield from emeralds and silver. He smirked and placed the finished object on the stone table beside him, letting it cool. It looked really good, Percy thought. Though, the dragons didn't really have any use for it. It would probably end up beside a dragon's bed, so that the creature could stare at its beauty.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jake said, forging through a pile of materials. He pulled out a few pieces of shiny bronze stone. "Father dug this up down near his forge, thought you and I could make some use of it." He chunked a piece of the stuff at Percy.

Percy turned it over in his hands, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "This is celestial bronze, isn't it?"

The dragon smirked at him and nodded. "Thought you might want to make something for Gaea with it," he said, tilting his head to the side.

Percy nodded. "You want to give me a hand with it?"

Jake grunted and walked into the back room. A deep growl sounded from the room. A tail soon fell through the doorway, and a head stuck its way through a hole over the forge. Jake opened his mouth and blew smoke at Percy's face. The green-eyed sixteen year old narrowed his eyes and waved the smoke out of his face.

Percy sat the celestial bronze on the table beside him and held out his hands. He whispered in ancient draconic, his eyes changing to blue and white. His breath traveled out from his mouth and spread across his hands, forming an invisible barrier across his hands and arms. He picked the bronze stone back up and placed it on the anvil. Jake opened his mouth and blew fire onto the stone.

Percy rubbed his chin as he stared at the bronze in the fire. He picked up his enchanted hammer and began shaping the object. He whispered in the ancient dragon tongue again, and the stone liquified. Percy placed the hammer back on the table and began molding the bronze liquid with his hands.

He used his fingers to make a small circle within the bronze. He then worked it so that the bronze liquid would come out thicker. He squeezed portion of it into intricate shapes. He reached over and picked some rubies, emeralds, and diamonds from a basket. He set the stones into the shapes that lined the circle of bronze.

Jake ceased his fire and returned to his human form. He entered the main room and sat on the stone table to watch Percy finish his work. Percy whispered again and spread his fingers out over the liquid bronze. Small ovals appeared all throughout the circle. Percy smiled and whispered a final time. The celestial bronze hardened on the anvil. Percy picked up his finished bracelet and held it up for inspection.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Percy asked, holding it out for Jake.

Jake took it and looked it over, the slits of his eyes enlarging as he thoroughly inspected the craftsmanship. "I say it looks pretty good," Jake said before letting out a burp, which included flames. Jake chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He handed the object back to Percy, who slid it into his pocket.

A deep grumbling sound could be heard from deeper in the mountain. "Percy, come to me!" Gaea's booming voice echoed through the mountain city. It was so loud that some dirt actually fell from the mountainside.

Percy sighed and left the forge, waving at Jake as he left. He didn't like when Gaea summoned him in that manner, it was never followed by good news. She actually came to him when it involved good news. Percy began making his way down the sloping paths that led down to the lower parts of Mons Draconum.

Drakes and dragons lounged around on ledges, watching the city from their perches. It was a little odd that his dragon was, or could be, younger than some of those dragons, yet she was larger and had matured more. Gaea had explained it once that the dragon of a Rider matured at a faster pace, which he had gotten a little excited about. He had hoped that his dragon would become an elder dragon earlier than most dragons on the island would, since she was a Rider's dragon. Unfortunately, Gaea informed him that they only matured faster until they were sixteen, and then they would just age normally.

Still, it was nice knowing that he would always have someone with him thousands of years down the road. He had spent the last few years training every single day. And until last year, that was pretty much the only thing he had been allowed to do. A year ago, Anaklusma had finally grown enough that he could ride, and Gaea had others to teach him how to hunt for himself.

They had taught him everything. He learned how to craft anything he wanted, hunt many animals, and cook his food, all from elder dragons. They even taught him how to speak and write in their ancient language, something that not even Rider's dragons could do. Anaklusma had been one of the only dragons to learn it. He also had lessons on human tongue, and how to write in it. He didn't like that as much, though. It now felt easier for him to speak in draconic than it did for him to speak the language of his own kind. And with circumstances like Apollo, they had also taught him what sex was.

Percy slowed down as he watched two dragons snap at each other. One of them clawed the other before they both began tumbling around on the ground. He smiled and began to move closer, but remembered he had somewhere to be. He frowned at the two fighting dragons and continued walking down the path.

Anaklusma flew down and hovered next to Percy. _"Would you like a ride?"_ She asked.

"I can walk," Percy grumbled.

The dragon grunted at him. _"For a Rider, you make a horrible one."_

Percy smirked at her. "Well, perhaps it's because I was raised to act like one of you. I take care of everything else in my life, so why can't I manage walking on my o-" Percy was cut off by a loud roar coming from down below. It shook the very walls of the mountain, and actually caused all the dragons to fall silent. Percy glanced at his dragon nervously. "On second thought, I think I'll take that ride."

Anaklusma chuckled in his head and landed on the ground in front of him. Percy climbed onto her back and gripped her neck. Her scales shifted so that he was more secure on her back. She roared and took off, descending down into the deepest parts of the city.

Anaklusma flew them through tunnel after tunnel, going deeper and deeper into the dragon city. The metal workings and jewel crafting that lined the walls of the mountains began to become more intricate and elaborate. And the dragons that they passed slowly became bigger. Anaklusma dived into a tunnel, which led them into a breathtaking giant chamber.

Metal designs were etched into every inch of the chamber's surface. The detail on each one was nothing short of perfection. And each and every one told a story, or that was what Gaea had told Percy. Treasure chests made of diamonds were scattered around the room, each one filled with piles of riches. Statues made out of every type of metal imaginable stood in the back of the room, where a golden throne covered in jewels sat.

Seated on the throne was Gaea, her face illuminated from all of the shiny objects in the room. She had her hand in front of her face, her fingers tapping against each other impatiently. She had not aged a day since the first time Percy had laid eyes on her. Anaklusma landed in the room and Percy climbed off her back. Gaea sighed and gestured for Percy to stand before her.

"You called?" Percy said with a smile. His eyes widened as he reached into his pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot." He pulled out his newly crafted bracelet and presented it to Gaea. "I made this for you."

A small smile spread out across Gaea's lips as she took the piece of jewelry from Percy. Her eyes lit up with fascination as she slipped it onto her wrist. She flipped her wrist several times, thoroughly inspecting Percy's craftsmanship. "It is very well done. Thank you, Percy," she said, placing a hand on his cheek.

Percy grinned back at the Dragon Queen. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Gaea's smile crumbled, her lips falling into a thin line. "Do you remember what I told you when we first met?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, his face set in deep concentration. "Um, not really. I remember you told me to treat Ana with love and care, like she was my very own sister," he replied. Anaklusma lowered her head and nuzzled it against Percy's body. He smiled and rubbed under her chin.

"Yes, there was that," Gaea said, "and you've done well with the treatment of your dragon. And because you treat your dragon as such, we treat you with the love and care that we show our own."

Percy frowned as he hand fell from his dragon. "But that's not what you wanted to talk about, was it?"

Gaea shook her head. "No, it is not." She tapped her fingers on her throne. "Do you remember why I had you trained?"

Percy nodded his head. "It was so that if the Dragon Riders every rose again, that they might take from my example, and not treat their dragons as a slave or pet."

The elder dragon nodded her head. "Yes. And I will hold you to that promise you made to me." The woman rose from her seat and gestured for Percy to walk with her. Percy sighed and stepped in line beside Gaea, Anaklusma following along behind them. They walked around the room for several minutes in silence, which only made Percy nervous as to the nature of the matter. "I believe that it is time for you to start your journey, little one."

Percy stared at her with a frown. He no longer had to stare up at the woman, standing at exactly six feet tall. Though, Percy knew she could be taller than him if she wished it. This was just simply the form she chose to take. But her appearance wasn't what concerned him now.

"Why are you sending me away?" Percy asked, his voice deepening as he shifted into the ancient dragon tongue.

Part of it was a habit of his, and he sometimes lost track of what language he actually was speaking. But the other part of it was that it was the language of debate, power, and authority amongst the dragons. While he wasn't stupid enough to want to challenge Gaea's authority, it never ended well for any that tried, he didn't want to be seen as a child in this discussion.

"Have I done something wrong?" Percy continued, his eyes full of hurt.

Gaea sighed and looked around at the metal carvings on the wall. "You have a purpose to fulfill, Rider, and I expect you to stay to your path. You must leave this island so that you can do what you need to do."

"Will I ever see this place or any of you again?"

Gaea turned to him with a frown. "Only time will tell," she replied. "Perhaps one day. But for now, your path lies elsewhere."

"What do I need to do?" Percy asked, his eyes a mix of anger and sadness. This was his home. He could barely remember anything from the outside world. He still couldn't even remember his life before he had woken up in that forest. And here Gaea was, sending him away. How could she expect this of him?

"Your path will be revealed to you as you go," Gaea answered, her eyes sending Percy a silent warning to hold his objections.

Percy turned his gaze from the dragon, his fists clenched at his side. "You won't even tell me my objective?"

The slits in Gaea's eyes thinned to a thin line. "Kill the dragon slayer known as Kronos. It was his doing that saw so many of my kind slaughtered during the Rider Civil War, and I will see his deeds punished." Her nails extended, growing sharp. "At least under the Riders they were alive, but because of him, thousands died." She placed a finger against Percy's cheek. "And his dragon, Hyperion, one of my oldest children; kill him. He has been corrupted by his Rider, and I will not see my children corrupted by madness." Percy winced as Gaea's nail dug into his cheek. "Do I make myself clear?"

Percy swallowed and nodded. Gaea smiled and removed her hand from Percy's cheek. "Anything you ask," Percy whispered.

Gaea nodded her head and began walking back towards her throne. Percy frowned and rubbed his cheek. "You once asked what my terms were for helping you. Well, this is what I ask. Kill Kronos and Hyperion. Fail me, and you would be wise not to return to me." She held out her hand and a green ball of light shot out from her palm. It floated over to Percy's cheek and sunk into his skin. The cut on his cheek slowly disappeared. "Now go."

Percy and Anaklusma bowed their heads. Percy turned and walked over to his dragon. The dragon made a low noise in her throat as Percy climbed onto her back. With a flap of her wings, Anaklusma flew from Gaea's chambers. _"I don't like this," _came Anaklusma's thoughts.

Percy smiled and patted her neck. "It'll be fine," he assured her.

_"I do agree with what Gaea wants, believe me I do, but I just wish that she could choose someone else for the job."_

Percy scowled at Anaklusma. "What, you don't think I can do it?" He growled.

Anaklusma landed and tossed Percy off of her back. The Rider tumbled across the floor before pushing himself up to glare hatefully at his dragon. _"I was merely worried about your safety,"_ the dragon huffed, blowing smoke at his face.

Percy grumbled as he stood up. "I'm not fragile." He frowned and looked around at Mons Draconum. "I don't want to leave."

"Well, it doesn't sound like you have much of a choice," Anaklusma retorted, shifting to her dragon tongue.

Percy groaned and waved her off. "Fine, fine. Just let me say goodbye and gather my things."

The blue and white dragon leered at him as he walked off. _"Don't forget to pack some of my things."_

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll throw some things in for you. Just remember that we have to pack light."

The dragon snorted smoke and flew off into the air. Percy sighed and walked up the mountain path, taking it all in for the last time. A few smaller dragons glided down and began running in circles around him. Percy smiled and laughed at them.

"Sorry, guys, but I'm leaving," he sighed.

A yellow dragon took his shirt into its mouth and began tugging. "Percy can't go. He must stay and play," he mumbled around the shirt, flapping his wings to make it harder for Percy to walk.

"But I have to."

A grey dragon bounded in front of him and lowered itself into a pouncing position. "Play one more time?" He growled.

Percy grinned and took his stance. The grey dragon made a playful growling noise and jumped on Percy. The two rolled around for a while, both of them trying to pin the other one. It was a common occurrence for Percy. He wasn't able to wrestle or play like this with the older ones, but the younger ones were more his size, so he didn't have to worry.

Percy blinked in surprise as he was pinned to the ground. The dragon bared its teeth at Percy, though Percy knew he was only playing. "I guess you won," Percy chuckled.

The grey dragon was lifted off of Percy and placed on the ground. Apollo frowned down at Percy as the green-eyed boy got to his feet. "And when were you planning on telling me that you were leaving?" Apollo pouted.

Percy smiled at the blond. "Sorry, I only found out myself. But I need to go pack."

Apollo's frown deepened. "What, no last rounds in your bed?" The blond hooked his fingers into the front of Percy's pants. "But I have such a craving for you right now."

Percy grinned and slid his tongue into Apollo's mouth. "You're welcome to hunt me down," Percy chuckled when he pulled away.

The blond dragon's eyes stared back at him hungrily. "I'll hold you to that."

He began walking away from Percy. His body began to glow, and a new form began to appear within the light. Percy closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a burnished gold dragon standing in Apollo's place. He doubled the size of Anaklusma. He flapped his wings, knocking Percy over, and flew off.

Percy sighed as he picked himself up, only to be knocked back down when Anaklusma landed. He glared up at his dragon as he picked himself up a second time. He arched an eyebrow as he took notice of a satchel and his spear in her claws.

"Um, how did pack all of that?" He asked curiously.

_"Very carefully,"_ the dragon replied. Percy blinked at her a few times before walking over to take the satchel and spear from her. He frowned as he felt the weight of the bag. _"But you don't want to go up to your room."_

Percy slapped his palm to his face with a groan. "You trashed our room?" He shook his head and peered inside the bag, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. He sighed and took out a handful of jewels and gold. "Really, Ana?"

_"What? I needed those."_

Percy rolled his eyes. "No." He picked through most of the treasures that she had stored into his magic bag and placed them on the floor.

Anaklusma quickly stomped over and stared down at her discarded treasures with a look of horror. _"You're not really going to just leave that here, are you? What if some dragon thief comes and steals it?" _She asked in shock.

Percy sighed and slung the satchel onto his back. He grabbed his spear and walked over to his dragon. He climbed onto her back and chuckled at her. "It'll be fine. It's not like you need it where we're going. Besides, you can probably find more to bring back here."

The dragon's head shot up and shifted its slits from side to side. _"Yes, I could do that."_

Percy's eyes widened as Anaklusma shot into the air and out of the mountain city. "Whoa! Slow down!" Percy yelled.

"But there are treasures to be found!" Anaklusma bellowed, flying away from the island.

They flew for an hour or two before Percy finally saw land. Since they didn't know where to go, they figured the best place to start was the Mitra. Anaklusma circled the village once before setting down at Percy's old farmhouse. The place was nothing but utter debris after all these years. The grass had become overgrown since Percy had last laid eyes on the place.

He frowned as he slid off of Anaklusma's back. "I guess the best place to start our journey would be to poke around the village," Percy announced. Anaklusma nodded her head with a snort of smoke. He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Um, I think I should go alone. I love you and all, but you're not exactly easy to hide. And if you recall, the only dragons that are still supposed to be alive are the king's dragon and the wild dragons. So, I don't think it would be a good idea if they saw you."

The dragon narrowed her eyes at him. _"Fine, but if you get into trouble, I will not hesitate to come,"_ she hissed.

Percy nodded. He retrieved his sword from his satchel and placed the object back on his back. Anaklusma flew off, probably to go hunting. He strapped his sword onto his belt and began making his way up the dirt road that led to the village.

Upon arriving in Mitra, he found the village bustling with life and business. Not exactly the picture of a country ruled by a madman, he thought. He stared around at everyone and everything with a perplexed look on his face. He couldn't help but think how strange human life was. They bought their food? Why didn't they just go and hunt it for themselves? Maybe this was why they didn't have piles of gold.

And their homes weren't very well defended. They could easily be burned down. The whole village could probably be overrun. Percy sighed. He already missed his mountain home. The craftsmanship on their jewelry was also very poor. And he was also discovering that people liked to stare. Everyone that noticed him stopped to look at him. He looked down at himself. Well, he supposed he did stick out a little. His clothing, for one thing, had a slight shine to it.

But one of the people staring at him caught his eye. It was a boy about his age. He didn't have much of a tan, but Percy wouldn't say that he was pale either. He had sharp brown eyes and curly black hair that reached down to his brow. He looked to be around the same muscular stature that Percy was. He had a cloak on, but was watching Percy from where he stood against a wall. He was attractive, Percy thought.

Percy held the brown-eyed boy's gaze, his eyes dilating from lust. Maybe after he got some information, Percy thought. He tore his eyes away from the boy and kept wandering around the village. He finally managed to find the tavern, which he entered. He frowned at the sight before him.

People were sitting around laughing and drinking. Had they nothing better to do? They wished to consume a liquid that inebriated them? What if someone attacked them? What if someone challenged their authority? There was no order here. He didn't understand any of it. And the items they ate their food with. What were they? And why didn't they just use their hands? And why were they eating on work tables?

He pulled out a chair and sat down, promptly standing back up and turning around to stare at the chair in surprise. The thing was protesting to him! He frowned at it and began to walk away, glaring back at the chair from time to time. He walked up to the man behind the counter.

"Um, excuse me?" Percy began.

"What can I do you for, son?" The man asked.

Percy cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. This man wasn't his father. Was he? Percy didn't think so. He had never seen the man before in his life. "I, uh, wanted some information."

The man grunted at him. "That'll cost you, lad."

Percy sighed and reached into his satchel. "Well, I don't really have any money. Would you mind trading?" Percy asked.

The man sighed. "Look, kid, I don't accept any-" He cut himself off as Percy pulled out a solid gold ring with a large ruby embedded into it. "W-Where did you get that?"

Percy shrugged. "I made it. I suppose it's not much, but-"

The man snatched the ring up and inspected it. "Nonsense, lad!" He said with a grin. He pocketed the coin and beamed at Percy. "Now then, what sort of information are you looking for?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm looking for someone," Percy replied. "A man named Kronos."

The entire tavern fell quiet. Percy blinked around at them in confusion. "And why were you wanting to find the king, lad?" The bartender asked.

Percy frowned as he turned his attention back to man. "He's the king?"

The bartender nodded. "Aye, that he is. He has been for quite some time now," the man chuckled. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Under a rock," Percy answered with a shrug.

The man laughed, but Percy didn't get it. Was there something funny about his home? "Well, if you want to find Kronos, you'll have to head south of here, to Olympus."

Percy nodded and headed for the door. As he stepped through the door, he noticed four soldiers standing around the cloaked boy from earlier. Two of them had their swords drawn and were pointing them at the black haired boy. One of the guards punched the guy, knocking him to the ground.

Percy's brow furrowed as he reached for his sword. Where was the honor in fighting an unarmed man? He stalked up behind a guard and plunged his blade into the soldier's back. He pulled his blade out and blocked an attack aimed at the cloaked boy on the ground. Percy kicked the man in the chest and sent him into a puddle of mud.

Another guard sliced his blade across Percy's stomach. The man blinked in surprise when Percy's shirt and body remained intact. Percy, not understanding what was surprising about his metal shirt, took the opportunity to plunge is blade into the man's neck.

Percy was kicked in the side, sending him into the building beside him. His eyes darted over to where his sword was still embedded in the dead man's neck. He turned a glare on the armed solider in front of him and charged. The man swung his sword, but Percy ducked under it. He tackled the man to the ground and tightened his fists around the man's neck, digging his nails into the skin.

He reached over and grabbed a rock, and began beating the man's face in with it. Once he was satisfied with the hole he had created, he tossed the rock aside. He began to rise to his feet, but was kicked to the ground. Standing over him was the soldier he had kicked in the mud. He raised his blade to cleave it into Percy's skull. Percy's eyes widened as the tip of a sword appeared in the man's stomach. The soldier's body was shoved down by a blond young man.

He was a tall young man, standing taller than Percy by at least two inches. He had muscular arms and tan skin. His blond hair hung down to his shoulder blades. He had bright green eyes and full lips. He had a strong jaw and heavily calloused hands.

He stepped over to the cloaked boy and helped him up. "Are you all right?" The blond asked in a deep voice.

"Yes," the cloaked boy smiled. He turned to Percy. "Thank you for protecting me like that."

Percy shrugged. "Why were they attacking you?" He asked.

The raven haired boy sighed. "Soldiers sometimes get sent to outlying villages to cool them off sometimes, and it can go badly on occasion. You could say they like to abuse their power." He smiled at Percy. "I'm Michael, by the way. My friend here is Deimos."

Percy nodded. "I'm Percy."

"What, no nice to meet you?" Deimos grunted.

Percy tilted his head to the side. "But it wasn't nice to meet you. Michael was about to be killed. How was that nice?"

Deimos rubbed his temple, while Michael burst out laughing. "I like you, Percy," the brown-eyed boy laughed.

Michael stared at Percy for a while, making Percy slightly uncomfortable. He finally rubbed his arm. "Why are you staring at me?" He asked.

Michael blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I wasn't expecting to meet another Dreamer."

* * *

Nico sat up and ruffled his already messy hair. He frowned as he looked around for his undergarments, groaning as he had to stretch to reach them. He sighed as he stood up and put them on. He then went about straightening out his shaggy hair. He had let it grow out a little over the past three years, and it now hung down into his eyes. He turned around and stared down at the naked girl on the cave floor.

She was the same girl that he had met when he had first visited Valterossa. She hadn't grown much over the past three years, and Nico now stood a head taller than her. She still had her black hair kept at shoulder length, and she still dressed like a boy. But it fit her, since she was a rebel, and fought alongside them.

"Thalia," Nico began, but didn't continue when the girl let out a sigh.

"You're leaving already?" She sighed.

Nico frowned at her. "I just need to go talk to the dignitary from Rosalia. I'll come find you afterwards."

"That's what you always say."

Nico rolled his eyes as he watched her get her own undergarments on. "And I try to make as much time for you as I can."

Thalia's blue eyes darted up to meet Nico's brown ones. "And what about all the marriage proposals?" Thalia hissed.

Nico's eyes darkened. "You're one to talk. You have your own to worry about, or have you forgotten?" He glared at the girl. "I'm trying to do everything that I can to get out of my marriage proposals. I love you, so why can't that be enough?"

Thalia pursed her lips. "You're not always here, Nico. You leave for weeks or even months at a time."

Nico flailed his arms in exasperation. "I have a responsibility to worry about! People are counting on me!"

"And what about me?"

Nico huffed at Thalia. "Maybe you should stop trying to think about yourself all the time. I come and see you as much as I can, even when Poseidon forbids me from doing so!" He snapped.

"And he always gets a fine tongue lashing when he does," came Poseidon's strong voice from above them.

Nico gulped and looked up at the cliff above them. Poseidon stood directly over them, arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face. Nico chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Thalia quickly got the rest of her clothes on as Poseidon walked down to where they stood beside the underground lake.

"You're late," Poseidon grunted at Nico, who averted his gaze.

Nico wrapped his arms around his lean, slender chest. Poseidon sighed and tossed Nico's pants at him. The Rider quietly slid them on before looking at his mentor with remorse. "I'm sorry," Nico whispered.

Poseidon shook his head as he looked between the two teenagers. "Well, it's a little late for that, boy. Chiron and the others are waiting for you, and Chiron isn't pleased about your tardiness."

Nico slid his shirt over his head and nodded. He leaned over and kissed Thalia on the cheek. "I'll come find you later," he whispered.

"That's debatable," Poseidon said.

Nico frowned at the man. Poseidon turned around and began walking back up the path to the city. Nico turned and stared at Thalia for a few more seconds before jogging after the man that had pretty much become a father to him.

"I really am sorry," Nico said as they neared the exit of the cave.

"What's done is done?" Poseidon mumbled.

As they entered the city, Cerberus lifted his head to look at them. _"I did try to stop him," _the giant red dragon told Nico.

Nico gave him a lopsided smile. The dragon got to his feet and followed along beside Nico. Nico frowned at Poseidon's back, his eyes reflecting the hurt he was feeling. He didn't like disappointing Poseidon, but he also needed to see Thalia.

"Are you mad at me?" Nico asked bluntly.

"I'm not mad. I'm disappointed," Poseidon said, his tone growing harsher. He stopped and turned around to face Nico, a stern look in his eyes. "You have a responsibility. Your duty as a Rider should come before your personal feelings. These people are counting on you, and they don't need a Rider that can't keep it in his pants." The man turned back around and picked up his pace to the council room.

Nico's eyes darkened. "And you never did anything like this when you were younger?"

Poseidon froze where he stood, his shoulders becoming tense. "I've grown up since then. And I never let my feelings get in the way of what needed to be done." He turned his head to look at Nico from the corner of his eye. "I just ask that you take this seriously."

"I do!" Nico exclaimed. "But I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask for the fame. I didn't ask for the bounty on my head. I wasn't asked if I wanted to get married, which I'm very much against."

Poseidon sighed and turned around, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you don't want to get married," he sighed. "I told you that I'd do everything that I could to make sure it never happened." He sighed again and arched an eyebrow at Nico. "What were you doing down in the caves anyways?"

Nico shrugged. "Jason doesn't like me seeing his sister," Nico replied simply.

Poseidon chuckled and nodded his head onwards. Cerberus lowered his head to Nico's level. _"You could always let me handle him," _the dragon said with a hint of mischievousness.

Nico grinned. "That's tempting," he whispered, "but I'll have to pass."

_"Perhaps he's just jealous that you're bedding his sister and not him."_

Nico chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'm Jason's type. Besides, he's definitely not mine."

The three of them slowly made their way up the mountain path, towards the council chambers. The city had become more populated since the first time had set foot in Valterossa. He still didn't like being there that much. He felt trapped there, not to mention the attention he would get. The only reasons he really came back were to see Thalia and to deal with the council. Poseidon didn't mind keeping them away, since he didn't want to be there either. The council was always persistent with getting the man to join them, but he always declined.

The city itself had been polished up over the years, but for the most part, the city had been built before the rebels had even gotten there. Poseidon had said that the rebels had just stumbled upon an abandoned city within the mountains one day, and had set up base. Well, he did like the designs, even if he didn't understand any of it. What was odd to him was that metal seemed to line most of the city's walls.

Nico stared up the council chambers as they walked up the path around the structure. It was a large white structure with lots of columns around it. A dome sat on the top of it, covered in gold and jewels. The entire ground around the building had been lined with silver and diamonds.

Upon their arrival, they found Janus outside, tapping his foot impatiently. He let out a sigh at the sight of them. "It's about time you found him," the man said.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled.

The man sighed again and gestured into the building. Poseidon and Janus led Nico inside. Cerberus grunted and pulled his wings in, so that he could fit inside the structure. Janus led them into a round room with eight chairs spread out in a circle. There were normally seven chairs, but after Nico officially became part of the rebellion, another chair was added for when he was present. He didn't sit on the council, but they still "requested" that he be present for as many meetings as possible.

The room itself was wondrous to look at. Each of the chairs were decorated with many jewels. The dome above their heads had been coated with metal designs that had long since faded beyond recognition. Torches were placed all around the room, so that no matter what time of day it was, the room would always be properly lit. But today, there was a ninth chair in the room, and it was being occupied by a very ferocious looking man.

He was clad in heavy armor, and a sword and shield sat beside his chair. He was handsome, Nico supposed, but he had several scars on his face; one right just to the left of his nose, one from the right side of his mouth down to his chin, and one over his right eye. He was very tall, around Poseidon's height. He had a crew cut and bright brown eyes that looked like they might spark with fire at any moment.

Nico stared at the man with caution as he took his seat beside Poseidon. Cerberus circled around Nico's chair and his body wrapped around the Rider's seat, his tail ensnaring the portion just above Nico's head. Chiron tapped his finger against his chair as he stared at Nico with an annoyed expression. The other council members had already taken their seats, and were waiting for Chiron to begin. The council was supposed to be comprised of six members and an arbiter, the current one being Chiron. Currently, there were only five council members: Janus, Athena, Zeus, Demeter, and Octavian.

Athena had been put on the council at a young age, as she was, quite possibly, one of the smartest people alive. She had long black hair that she often kept up in a bun. Her grey eyes were so intense that Nico felt that she could see into someone's very soul and analyze every single thing about the person.

Zeus was the third oldest council member, only being passed by Chiron and Demeter. He was also Thalia and Jason's father. He was relatively cordial with Nico, though. However, Nico suspected it had more to do with Nico being a Rider, rather than the man actually liking Nico. He was a proud man, and rarely liked to admit he was wrong. He had shoulder-length black hair and a beard, both with streaks of grey beginning to appear. He had dark grey eyes and a grim face.

Demeter was one of the more talkative council members, who always found something to complain about with Nico. Sometimes it was harmless pestering about things like eating properly and how his dragon looked. But other times she would make comments about his father, or how she worried that their fate had to rest on Nico. She had long wavy black hair, which was usually draped over her shoulder. She had large brown eyes, which often reminded Nico of a deer.

Finally, there was Octavian, who was the youngest member of the council at eighteen years of age. He was the only member of the council that Nico didn't actually trust. It was obvious that the boy wanted to rise to power, but Nico was thankful that Chiron kept him in check. He was very skinny, almost putting Nico to shame. But Nico did have slightly paler skin and slightly more muscle. He had blond hair that hung slightly in his face. He also had a pair of crazed blue eyes.

Chiron finally tore his gaze away from Nico to begin the meeting. "As you are all aware, we have a dignitary from Rosalia with us today," he began. He gestured at the man that Nico had noticed earlier. "Ares, if you please."

The giant brute of a man cleared his throat as he glanced around at everyone in the room, Nico and Cerberus in particular. "As you all know, I'm here on behalf of my Empress, Aphrodite. We've been at war with Elysia the past year. And now that our late Empress was murdered by Kronos, Aphrodite has taken her mother's place," Ares began. "And as you've seen, I've brought with me coin, grain, and fabrics to aid you. But all of that aside, Kronos's army still grows closer to our capital with each passing day."

Zeus stroked his beard. "If it wasn't for us, you would have already lost your war," he retorted. "We do our best to keep Kronos preoccupied."

"We could always strengthen our alliance."

"In what way?" Janus asked.

Ares leaned forward, his eyes turning on Nico. "A marriage proposal, between our Empress and the Rider."

Nico straightened in his chair, his brow furrowing. "What?" Nico demanded.

Poseidon shot him a warning glance and Nico sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That is quite a large request," Poseidon replied. "As you know, we need Nico here, not off ruling some country."

"We already have enough problems with Riders trying to rule countries," Demeter grumbled.

Poseidon rubbed his temple. "I just don't know if it's a good idea."

Ares's eyes darkened as he stared over at Poseidon. "He would only be her consort. He's welcome to aid you as he has been doing, but we do request a child from it," Ares replied.

"Come now, Ares. Don't you think you could sweeten the deal?" Octavian said with a fake smile.

Nico's hands moved down to grip the armrests of his chair. They were going to treat him like a bargaining tool? _"Just say the word, and I'll gladly roast this fool," _Cerberus said, his wing draping over the top of Nico's chair, casting a shadow across Nico's features.

"What would you suggest?" Ares grunted.

"Have him rule in her place, should anything happen to her," Octavian replied.

"Like I said, enough problems with Riders in politics," Demeter huffed.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Is there more to your proposal?" She asked.

"Yes," Ares said. "Another proposal." He turned to Zeus. "You have a daughter, don't you? I am the Empress's cousin. Surely there could be some mutual gain in a marriage?"

Nico's eyes flashed bright red and his nostrils flared. Poseidon sighed and placed a hand to his temple. "A marvelous idea!" Octavian exclaimed with a grin.

Athena sighed and raised her hand towards Octavian, telling him to be silent. "We will need some time to debate both of these requests," she announced.

"Yes, we will," Chiron agreed.

"And when are you planning on doing something about Kronos?" Ares growled. "Why not attack the capital while his men are busy with us."

"There are still plenty of soldiers in the capital," Athena pointed out. "His laws on forced military service are quite effective in getting him the soldiers he needs."

"Well, there must be something you can do," Ares demanded.

Chiron sighed. He gestured for Ares to calm down. "We can have Nico scout out the capital, see what we can find out," the man replied.

"Perhaps he should go meet the Empress," Octavian suggested, glancing over at Nico.

Poseidon narrowed his eyes at the blond. "No," he said firmly. "I've heard about Aphrodite, and I will not have-"

"Choose your words wisely," Ares growled, hands balled into fists.

Poseidon arched a brow. "Oh, I was. A whore would have been my nicest choice of words."

Ares's nostrils flared. As he rose from his chair, Cerberus's head shot off the ground. The dragon glared down his snout at the man, a deep growling sound emanating from within him. Nico raised his head to look up at the man, and Ares finally noticed the dark expression and red eyes. "You come asking for help, my help, yet you treat me like I'm not even present. You have yet to even address me, but you make all of these demands."

"You little-" Ares began, but a roar from Cerberus silenced him. The man swallowed and sat back down in his seat in silence.

Zeus and Janus fought to keep straight faces, trying their best not to snicker. Chiron's fists were straining against his chair, his knuckles white, as he glared over at Poseidon. He finally nodded his head over to Nico. Poseidon sighed and stood up. He grabbed Nico by his arm and yanked the boy from his chair. Nico was shoved towards the exit. "Cerberus!" Poseidon yelled at the dragon as they left.

Cerberus continued to glare at Ares for a few more seconds before blowing smoke in his face and turning around. Poseidon let out a sigh as the end of Cerberus's tail caught Ares across the face, knocking him and his chair over. He glared up at the dragon before turning to a chuckling Nico.

Nico just shrugged. "He said it was an accident," Nico laughed.

Poseidon rolled his eyes and pushed Nico the rest of the way out of the council chambers. "Was that really necessary?" Poseidon sighed.

Nico arched an eyebrow at Cerberus, who cocked his head to the side. Nico looked back at Poseidon and shrugged. "He wasn't very nice."

"Regardless, you shouldn't go throwing your weight around like that."

Nico cast his eyes to the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Poseidon rolled his eyes and pulled Nico under his arm. He began walking back down the mountain path, dragging Nico with him. "Well, he was a pretty big ass."

Nico grinned up at Poseidon. "So, now what?"

"We have our orders; go check out the capital."

"I hate going there," Nico mumbled.

"I know," Poseidon sighed, "but we'll be fine. So, pack your stuff, and we will be on our way."

"Can I at least say goodbye to Thalia?"

Poseidon was silent for a moment. He let Nico move out from under his arm, where the boy began frowning at him. "Just make it fast," Poseidon finally said.

* * *

Poseidon stopped in front of the tavern door. He turned around and gave Nico a stern look. "Remember what I said," he said firmly.

Nico rolled his eyes from behind his hood. "Yes, I know. I'm not going to do anything reckless," he mumbled. Even though the dragon was miles out, hiding in the woods, he could still feel his partner laughing at him. He narrowed his eyes at the door.

_"You will regret this," _Nico said to Cerberus through their link.

_"I only laugh because I love you and know you so well,"_ came the dragon's thoughts.

Nico sighed and followed Poseidon into the tavern. The place was crowded and loud, too much so for Nico's liking. "What can I get for you fine gentlemen?" The barmaid asked as they sat down. She tried to tilt her head to look at Nico's face, but Poseidon flashed a few coins in front of her face.

"Get me an ale," Poseidon began. Nico opened his mouth, but Poseidon beat him to it. "And get him some water."

Nico scowled at Poseidon as the woman walked off. He never let Nico drink. He rested his chin on his palm with a sigh, glancing around at the drunken patrons laugh and play cards. A few of them waved their drinks around, spilling liquid onto the floors. Not that the floor was clean by any means.

Poseidon grunted at Nico, drawing the boy's attention. The man nodded his head over to a wall, where two women were staring at one of Nico's infamous wanted posters. Nico let out a sigh as he attempted to listen in on the two women.

"Poor lad, getting thrown in with those horrible rebels like that," the blonde woman began.

"I say he deserves what he gets," the brunette replied.

"I don't know about all of that. If that old Rider hadn't gotten his hands on the boy, I'm sure Kronos could have set the boy on the right path. It was just such a shame that the Rider Order had to be wiped out like that."

"They got corrupted, and our king only did what needed to be done."

Nico's lips tilted down into a frown as he listened to the two women. How blind were people? It was a shame that Kronos wasn't the obvious evil ruler. It would have made things much easier for Nico if he was. But no, the man had done a lot of the country. His policies had increased the population, advanced the field of medicine, and even started a stone road network in many parts of the country. The problem lay with his policy regarding foreign countries.

He didn't tolerate any of the other countries, and that was why Elysia was currently at war. But he had wiped out his entire order, for the simple reason that they didn't share his stance on the rest of the world. Knowing that piece of history, how could people look at this man and think he was a good king?

The barmaid returned with their drinks. She noticed Poseidon and Nico staring at the two women and let out a sigh. "It's such a shame that the poor boy is being hunted like that," she mumbled, a hint of an accent in her voice. "Everyone loves the king so much, you'd think the man was a god. But he's not. He just happened to come out on the winning side of a war. Killed his fellow men and women, and he gets labeled a hero. And no one ever questions if there was any corruption in the Riders."

Poseidon smiled at the woman as he took a sip of his drink. "You know of the Riders?" He asked.

The barmaid smiled at them. "My mother used to read me stories about them when I was a baby. Growing up, I had always wanted to see a dragon, but the only tamed one is in the capital, and not many people get to see it anymore." She shrugged her shoulders. "And no one really wants to go looking for wild dragons, probably wouldn't come back at all if one were to find them."

"Perhaps one day, their time will come again."

Nico watched as the woman walked off with a smile. "After all of this is over, do you really expect for the order to be rebuilt?" Nico asked.

"I do," Poseidon said simply.

"Will you help me?"

Poseidon frowned. "If I'm still alive."

Nico tilted his head to the side. "Why wouldn't you be? You've lived this long, surely you'll be fine."

Poseidon chuckled. "We'll just have to see. Regardless, dragon eggs will need to be acquired."

Nico arched an eyebrow. "And how do I do that?" He asked. "I don't think the dragons are just going to let me walk up and take a bunch of their eggs.

Poseidon chuckled again, taking a sip of his drink. "Let's not worry about that for now. I'll talk with you on the matter another time. For now, we just need to concentrate on the task at hand."

Nico sighed and nodded his head. "Well, what are we doing in the capital?"

"We need to check in with the rebels stationed in the city, as well as see if there is any news from our eyes on the inside of the castle." Nico's mentor took one final drink before rising to his feet. "Now then, we've got our rest, so we should get back on the road."

"This would go much faster if you'd let me fly," Nico mumbled as they walked out the door.

Poseidon chuckled. "Yes, well, I'm not sure I want to let you run loose just yet." Nico tossed him a glare. "It's for your own protection."

"It's not like Cerberus couldn't get to me within a few seconds of something happening."

Poseidon shook his head as they mounted their horses. "Out of the question. You are too valuable to risk like that."

"Yet my life is being risked with putting me in the capital," Nico droned. He linked up with Cerberus and asked him to go looking for a site for them to set up camp.

A few hours later, Nico sat against Cerberus as Poseidon stoked their fire. Cerberus was busy eating a bear that he had found. A few pieces of venison from a skinned deer that Cerberus had retrieved for Nico and Poseidon sat on a stump next to Poseidon, waiting to be cooked.

_"If I were to die in the capital, what would you do for the rest of eternity?" _Nico asked Cerberus through their link.

Cerberus's red eyes darted back to where Nico sat, while his mouth still worked on devouring his food. _"Get a fake beard and open a tavern," _the dragon replied sarcastically. _"What do you think I would do? I'd lay siege to that city until it was a pile of rubble, or until they managed to kill me."_

Nico rolled his eyes. _"Always the optimist."_

_ "You're right, I could never own a tavern. I don't think I can pull off a beard."_

Nico slapped a hand over his face. _"And to think that I used to feel so excited about having a dragon, and now I find that mine loves being a sarcastic ass."_

A low growling came from within Cerberus as the beast's tail swiped across the ground towards Nico. _"You love me," _Cerberus grunted. When Nico didn't respond, the dragon wrapped the end of his tail around Nico's ankle and dangled Nico in front of his face. _"Say it," _the dragon growled.

"I swear, you're such a girl," Nico mumbled. "I do love you, now put me down."

The dragon grunted at him before flinging the boy onto the ground. Nico glared at his companion, listening to Cerberus chuckle in his head. "Problems?" Poseidon asked.

Nico sighed and stood up. "Are all dragons this difficult?" Nico grumbled. Cerberus's tail swept across the ground, knocking Nico's feet out from under him.

Poseidon chuckled at them. "Well, a dragon is like a person, and comes with its own unique personality."

Nico let his head fall back on the ground so that he could narrow his eyes at his dragon. He chuckled and shook his head. With a loud sigh, he closed his eyes to wait until the food was ready. He wanted to enjoy himself as much as he could. Because once he got to the capital, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping or enjoying himself too much.

* * *

In case you are wondering, the Michael that Percy meets is Michael Yew. Just thought I'd clear that up. And Deimos appears in the Demigod Files, son of Ares. He also appeared in the latest chapter of Shadows, if you read that story, alongside his brother, Phobos. And you also see why I reiterated the fact that this is a Percy and Nico romance story. Percy has to turn Nico onto men. It was a bit of a change for me, since I usually have Nico being completely gay. Their first meeting won't be dragged out like it was in Shadows either, where it was, like, chapter 7 or 8 before they met. They will meet next chapter, if you haven't figured out from the fact they are both headed towards the capital. I guess I have two questions. The first is a little early to ask, but which character do you like the most so far? I enjoyed Ana, especially when she was being deprived of her treasures. Which brings me to my next question. Favorite part of the chapter? Anyways, I'll see you guys later, and by later, I mean next month.


	3. Chapter 3

_Quick author note. If you haven't heard, I'm not using a schedule anymore. This means that this fic can now be updated at any point. I'm going to update all of my stuff, regardless of stuff like reviews, but I will say that more reviews will get chapters out faster. I'm feeling more relaxed, though. I have more time to read and play games. Although, I've picked up League of Legends, which has been distracting me, a lot. Anyways, I'll keep this super short. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. As I said, Percy and Nico would be meeting early on in this story._

_Oh, damn, I almost forgot. There was a review I wanted to address. I got a review asking me about Nico being dominant in this story. My answer is going to be keep reading, but I have a small rant. In gay sex, and in straight sex, dominance does not mean a character is a top or bottom, if that is what you were asking about. But, like I said, keep reading to find out who is what._

_Warning: Implied sex. Language. Alcohol. Implied killing. Violence. Slash(boy/boy)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus._

Chapter 3

Percy's green eyes followed Michael around as he walked around the campfire. Or more precisely, his eyes were watching Michael's ass. He could practically feel Anaklusma's judgment, mainly because the dragon kept lecturing him about getting distracted. It wasn't like she didn't get distracted by treasure, Percy thought. Besides, she wasn't capable of coming and doing anything about it.

Percy glanced over at Deimos, who watched him from across the fire. Percy arched an eyebrow at the blond before looking at the grass. The blond hadn't been very talkative since they began their trip to the capital, but he sure studied Percy a lot. He was pretty protective of Michael, which was why Percy theorized that Deimos was being cautious of Percy.

"When are you going to tell me about this Dreamer thing?" Percy asked as Michael sat down a few feet to Percy's right. "You said that you're one. I just want to know more about it." And it was true, he did. Gaea had only spoken vaguely on the issue of what he was. She had said that they could lead to corruption and hinted that they could be dangerous. But from how dismissive that the Dragon Queen was about it, Percy had never put much concern into being one.

"It's a gift," Michael said simply, smiling at Percy. He tilted his head to the side and stared into the fire. "For a Dreamer, they don't always have normal dreams. However, you can't have them just anywhere. You need a place of power, which was what I was actually looking for." He twirled a strand of his hair around his finger. "Anyways, when a Dreamer truly dreams, they dream about themselves, and only themselves."

Percy nodded. That was all he remembered. From as far back in his dream, until he had woken up, all he remembered was walking in deserted areas. Anaklusma had been the only other living thing in his dream. But that probably had to do with him being a Rider.

"Depending on how long you dream, your reality becomes the dream, and the dream becomes the reality. The shortest of these dreams can last around a month or two. A long dream can last up to a hundred years, for immortals anyways," the raven haired boy continued. His eyes darted back over to Percy, the fire reflecting in his eyes. "Dreams vary from person to person. Each vision of power, each piece of knowledge, is represented in each person's dream."

Percy arched an eyebrow. "Knowledge?" He asked. "I don't recall gaining any."

Michael chuckled. "You probably just didn't realize it. But, since you woke up from your dream, did you not notice knowledge that you previously didn't possess? Perhaps that you knew spells that you never learned?"

Realization sort of dawned on Percy. "Well, I know the words, but-"

"Not how to use them?" Michael finished.

Percy nodded. "Yes."

Michael let out a sigh. "You just need to learn practice." He picked up a twig and began to draw in the dirt. "So, you gained knowledge. But, you also gained something else." He glanced up from the dirt for a moment to meet Percy's eyes. "You also got to see every possible outcome for your future. Everything that you saw in that dream is something that you could create, whether it be for good, or evil."

"Evil?

The other boy nodded. "Dreams of Power don't discriminate against such things. They are merely there to give you the knowledge. It's up to the Dreamer to decide how to use it."

"You mentioned immortals earlier."

Michael swept his foot across the dirt, erasing his work. "I did," the brown-eyed boy answered. "If you're not an immortal, you can die in these dreams." Michael smiled at Percy. "You know, you have a very cute accent. Where are you from?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Not from around here," he mumbled. "Is it that noticeable?"

Michael shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, I can hear it, but it's not that heavy. It sounds odd, with an ancient and strong feel to it."

Percy cleared his throat, staring at the fire. He supposed living with the dragons for the past three years had rubbed off on him. What was he supposed to say, though? He doubted anyone else besides him spoke like this outside of the dragon nests.

"Um, is there anything else you can tell me about the dreams?" Percy asked, changing the subject back to their original topic.

Michael chuckled at him, which earned a grunt from Deimos. "You're cute," the dark haired boy confessed. Percy smiled at him, his eyes dilating slightly. He wasn't saying that he was going to take advantage of this confession, but he was completely going to take advantage of the confession. "Anyways, back to our original topic. A problem with the dreams could be seen with the amount of time you spend in them."

Percy cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"You can lose memories from your life before the dream. It's not that big of a deal, especially for what you gain in the process."

The green-eyed boy frowned. "Can you get them back?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Percy slowly nodded his head. "Have you had more than one?" He asked.

"I have," the brown-eyed boy confessed. "There's so much to learn from them. The possibilities that one can achieve are so vast, so enlightening."

Percy stared back at the brown-eyed boy. "So, if I want to dream again, I have to find a place of power?"

Michael nodded his head. "Afraid so." He gave Percy's body a slow once-over. "You know, I've never attempted a Dream of Power with another Dreamer. Makes you wonder if something would be different."

Percy smirked, crawling a little closer. "I could think of something else fun to try," he said suggestively.

Deimos grunted and tossed some wood into the fire. "At least wait until I fall asleep before you go at it like wild animals," the blond huffed.

Michael laughed. "Don't mind him," the raven haired boy said in amusement.

"You might as well yell for bandits to come attack us."

Michael smiled and looked back over to Percy. He winked at the green-eyed boy before smiling back at Deimos. "Fine, we'll behave."

The blond grunted at his friend. Percy frowned at the irritated looking blond, who plopped down on his back with another grunt. Percy leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the night sky. A dark silhouette flew above them, far enough to go unnoticed, but close enough for it to do its scouting. He arched an eyebrow up at Anaklusma as the dragon circled around to fly in between two tall mountains.

_"Cozy?" _The Rider asked, opening up their mental link.

_"While you were busy staring at ass, I found some nice horse to feast on,"_ the dragon scoffed.

Percy smiled. _"You managed to find some wild horses?"_

_ "I did. Although, they didn't put up much of a fight. They somehow got themselves tied to a post, and were unable to run."_

Percy made a face at the mountains. _"I try my best to hunt. These two are odd. They keep offering me food, and don't expect me to find my own."_

He heard Anaklusma grunt in his head. _"Your species is bizarre," _she decided.

Percy chuckled and lay back on the ground. "What's so funny?" Michael asked, settling down on his bedroll.

Percy turned his head to look at the pale boy. "Oh, it was nothing. Just a funny story I was remembering," Percy lied.

The other boy nodded before laying his head down. Percy stared back up at the sky. They would reach the capital tomorrow. The problem was that Percy was still trying to figure out how to get to, and kill, Kronos. He couldn't just go up and stab the man. That would be disrespectful. He had been raised better than that. The man sat on a seat of power, and that was no way to deal with someone like that.

_"You better not give away any more of my treasure,"_ Anaklusma growled in his head.

Percy rolled his eyes. _"I needed a horse, Ana," _he reasoned.

_"Use your own shinnies."_

_ "I did make you that jewelry, you know. Besides, I can make you more. It's not my fault that these people are greedy like..." _Percy trailed off, pursing his lips at his almost slip. Dragons were also greed when it came to shiny things, so it would probably be best not to say the word dragons. _"Actually, never mind."_

He could feel his dragon giving him a look. _"You were going to say dragons, weren't you?"_

Percy's eyes shifted off to the left. _"No,"_ he lied.

_"I shall remember this, Percy."_

The Rider sighed. _"Fine. Eat the horse when we get to the capital." _He frowned up at the sky. _"Just don't get caught taking it."_

_ "Me? I'm like a stealthy lion. I move like a black cat stalking its prey in the middle of the night," _the dragon scoffed.

Percy rolled his eyes before chuckling to himself. He was ready to see his dragon again. They had been traveling for two days now, and he hadn't been able to see Anaklusma. He had tried to sneak off to meet up with her, but Michael kept worrying about him wandering off.

After several long minutes, Percy sat up and glanced over at Michael's sleeping form. His eyes dilated slightly before they flickered over to the slumbering Deimos. He slowly crawled across the grass, making sure to be as quiet as possible. He crawled on top of Michael, sliding a hand under the boy's shirt.

"Took you long enough," Michael whispered, rolling onto his back to grin up at Percy.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the boy beneath him. "You knew I was going to try this?" He hissed.

The brown-eyed boy shrugged. "You have been staring at me a lot during our travels." His grin widened. "Especially my ass."

Percy grinned back. "Then you won't mind being quiet so that I can make use of it."

Michael quietly chuckled, placing his hands beneath his head. He watched in amusement as Percy yanked down his pants. He pursed his lips tightly to silence a moan as Percy ran his tongue along his length. "I don't have any oil, though," the pale boy breathed out.

"Then we'll make due," Percy growled, lowering his head. He lifted Michael's hips and ran his tongue along the boy's entrance.

The Rider dipped his tongue into Michael, causing the pale boy to squirm. Percy grabbed his pale ass and spread his cheeks apart to get better access. Michael bit down on his lip to stifle his moans, while Percy went about loosening him up.

Finally, Percy pulled back and spit in his palm. He pulled his pants down and coated his arousal before lining himself up with Michael's entrance. He smirked down at the brown-eyed boy. "I do hope you don't wake Deimos," he said. "Because you are going to do a lot of moaning."

* * *

Percy climbed out of the lake and shook his head, flinging water everywhere. He grabbed some clean undergarments that he had pulled from his bag and slid them on. He picked up his pants and stood up. He looked up when he heard someone approaching. He blinked at Michael, who was staring at him with mixed emotions.

"So, about last night," the pale boy began.

Percy slid his pants on, raising an eyebrow at his new friend. "What about it?" He asked.

"You sort of got up afterwards."

Percy's eyebrows rose, not understanding the problem. "Was I not supposed to?"

Michael stared back at him with a mixture of disappointment, sadness, and slight irritation. "I just thought you would be a little different in regards to the bedroom," he said after a long silence.

Percy blinked at him. "But we didn't have sex in a bedroom. We're outside."

Michael groaned. "You know what I mean."

Percy shrugged. "Not really."

The paler of the two bent over and picked up Percy's shirt before handing it to the other. They were relatively close in height, so neither had to tilt their head to look at the other. Percy smiled at him and took his shirt. Michael sighed and began to undress. "Anyways, Deimos has some breakfast. You should eat now. We're going to head out after I'm done getting clean."

Percy frowned. "I think I'm going to go hunt," he stated.

"But we have food," Michael reasoned.

Percy stared back at the other in confusion. How did Michael not understand why Percy wanted to do this? Deimos didn't question him about it. "I just prefer to fend for myself."

Michael sighed. "Fine. But like I said, make it quick."

The green-eyed boy nodded and headed back to their camp, running his fingers through his bangs. As he approached the camp, Deimos didn't even bother offering him anything. The blond seemed used to Percy's habit of providing food for himself. They didn't speak; Deimos just nodded at Percy as he grabbed his spear, knife, and a spare sack to go hunt.

It didn't take him very long to find a boar wandering around in some grass. Percy got onto his stomach and crawled along the ground, his spear in his right hand. He let out a growl as a twig broke beneath him. The boar squealed and started to run away.

Percy shot to his feet and hurled his spear. He held out his hand and yelled, "Hasta!" His eyes flashed blue and white. The spear rocketed forward and struck the boar, killing it upon impact.

Percy walked over, a smile on his face, and pulled his spear from the corpse. He pulled the sack from his belt before kneeling in front of his kill. He grabbed his knife and began cutting. He growled as he remembered Michael's words. He had to be quick if he wanted to eat. He hated wasting some of his kill, but he didn't have a lot of time.

He cut several pieces from the boar, plenty to fill him up with. He stuffed each piece of meat into his sack before standing back up. He blew out his breath as he stared down at the dead animal. Well, perhaps some scavenger will come along and eat it, he thought.

When he returned, Michael had already finished bathing. He sighed as Percy sat down beside him. "You really do need to hurry with that. We still have some distance to cover, and I really want to get to Olympus before the sun begins to set," the brown-eyed boy mumbled.

"Sorry," Percy replied, sticking the boar meat onto a stick and placing it above the fire. He watched as Michael at some of his berries and chew on a leg of a goat while his food cooked.

Deimos gave him an annoyed look every now and then. "Why can't we just let him travel on his own now?" The blond asked. "The capital is only a few hours away. Surely he can't manage to get lost."

Michael rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine," the boy mumbled. He smiled over at Percy. "You know, you're going to have to get used to letting others feed you in Olympus. You can't exactly go hunting the animals you find in the city."

Percy tilted his head to the side. "Why not?" He asked.

Both Deimos and Michael gave him a shocked expression, the blond less so than the dark haired boy. "Because they belong to people," Michael answered. "Well, most of them." He scratched his head. "I suppose you can eat rat, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Percy shrugged. "I can just leave the city and go hunt, then I'll just return."

Michael chuckled and shook his head. "You're very stubborn."

After his food was done cooking, Percy quickly scarfed it down. As he did, Michael and Deimos went about packing up and preparing the horses. He was still getting used to riding the creature. He missed Anaklusma, a lot. She would have made this journey much faster.

When Percy was done eating, he gathered his things and readied his horse. "Ready to go?" Michael asked, smiling at Percy.

"I think so," Percy answered.

The raven haired boy nodded before spurring his horse. The three began to ride south. After about an hour, Michael pointed to the distance. Percy followed the boy's gaze to something rising out in the distance. It was a large structure, though it was still miles away.

"That's Olympus," Michael said.

"We'll be there in a few hours," Deimos added.

As they road, Michael began talking about the city. Apparently, it was surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the southeast, there was a large lake and a gap in the mountains that was used for traveling. They had journeyed through the two northern mountains, following the river south. The way Michael described the city, it sounded like a forest made of stone.

"You'll probably get lost," Michael teased him.

Percy frowned. He didn't need to get lost. He needed to find Kronos, even though he still didn't know what he was going to do. "Where's the palace?" Percy asked.

Deimos's eyebrow rose as he stared at Percy from the corner of his eye. Michael gave him a curious look. "You mean the castle? Why would you want to go there?" The raven haired boy asked.

"I just wanted to see it."

"It's hard to miss," Deimos said in his deep voice.

Michael nodded. "It's the highest point in the city," he added. "The city is built sort of like steps. It rises the further in you go. At the very center is the castle."

"Look for the dark stone and gold banners," Deimos grunted.

Michael gave the blond a stern look. "But, it has a wall surrounding it. Besides, the guards won't let you past the wall, so you won't be able to get close enough to truly appreciate its beauty."

"And the dragon, where is it?" Percy asked, glancing to the city on the horizon.

Both of the others gave him odd looks. Michael opened his mouth a few times, unable to find any words. "Why do you want to find the king's dragon?" Deimos inquired.

"Oh, uh, I just wanted to see it," Percy said quickly.

Michael chuckled. "Well, it's not like the thing sits on top of the castle, breathing fire down upon any that come near its home," he answered. "No one ever really sees the thing. But then again, no one really sees the king."

Percy felt himself start to scowl. Well, that wasn't going to make his job easier. "So, what is the city like?" Percy sighed.

"Busy," Deimos deadpanned. Percy frowned at him.

Michael smiled. "It's the center of trade for the country," he added. "You can find a variety of goods within its walls. It stretches for miles, extending even across the river to its south. It's a nice city. I mean, it's not without its flaws, but what city isn't? It's beautiful to look at, and people come from all over to start a life."

"Is it your home?" Percy asked.

Michael shrugged. "For the most part. We stay there most of the time, but I like to travel." He smirked at Percy. "There's not really a place to have good dreams within the city."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Percy kept staring at the city as it rose in the distance. As they neared the walls, Percy marveled up at the capital. Most of the city was made of white stone, so well done that even Percy was taken in by it. After seeing Mitra, he wasn't expecting such a nicely constructed city.

Towers were positioned along the wall, an even amount of distance between each one. The city rose up within the walls, reminding Percy slightly of home. At the very top was what looked like Kronos's castle. The city leveled off at the top, so that walls could be placed defensibly around the black castle. Steps descended from the front of the castle, leading down towards the rest of the city.

As they came to the gate, Percy caught sight of some of the banners. They were gold, just like Deimos had said. A black dragon was embroidered in the center of it, its tail curling around itself and its wings spread behind it.

They passed through with no trouble from the guards on duty. Percy's brow furrowed. They just let anyone into the city? An assassin could walk in their front door. Percy sort of wanted to laugh at that, considering what he had been sent to do. Deimos led them towards the stables, where they dismounted. Michael took the lead as they continued on. They passed through a second gate before Percy finally got a look at the city itself.

The buildings ranged in all sizes and shapes. As they walked, Percy gawked at all the different shops that they walked by. And the people. There were so many people. All of them dressed differently; some strange, some plain, some with odd hair. Children ran around, playing different games with each other. As they walked by, some merchants in odd wooden structures tried to call them over. He had seen them at Mitra, and he assumed they were for business. So, why didn't they just get a real shop? Michael would occasionally shake his hand, letting the merchant know he wasn't interested.

Some things that he saw were odd. Some men attempted to sell women odd bottles that squirted a gas of some sorts. Percy always had to wrinkle his nose as they passed those, as they had strange smells. He just didn't understand it all. He assumed these people had some sort of work that provided them money, but where did the money come from? And why didn't they just make these things they wanted themselves?

He found the people to be a little vain. They seemed to care a lot about their appearance, even though most of them appeared to look fine. And they were greedy, always bargaining with customers or merchants. Dragons were greedy, but they never argued over treasure so possessively. Sure dragons would get angry if another attempted to steal from them, but he had never seen something like this before.

"Are you all right?" Michael asked.

Percy blinked and looked at his new friend. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in," he answered.

Michael nodded. "I suppose it can be."

As they continued to walk, Percy's attention drifted back to his surroundings. He made faces as he watched people eat. The way and amount people ate, no wonder some of them weren't in the best shape. They would not survive if they were threatened. How would they run? Could they even put up a fight? Why did people need to eat so much? Sure, Percy ate a lot, but that was just what he needed. But he didn't eat like these people. He watched as men and women stuffed their faces with odd circular bread that had fruit inside.

"Did you hear? The rebels struck again a few nights back."

Percy slowed down when he heard that. Michael turned and gave him an odd look. "Was it the Rider?" Another man asked.

Percy's brow furrowed. Rider? His head started to spin. Why did something about that sound familiar? Someone had spoken of another Rider back in Mitra, after he had left the forest, hadn't they?And the Rider was still alive? He needed to know more.

"Sorry," Percy apologized as he caught up to the other two. "What were those two men talking about? Rebels? Rider?"

Michael sighed, glancing up at Deimos. "They like to call themselves freedom fighters, but I kind of think they are dangerous," the pale boy answered. "Our country has been well taken care of since Kronos took over, and they want to end it."

"Why don't they like him?"

"They call him mad," Deimos grunted. "It's old history, their problem with the king, dating back to the Rider Civil War."

Michael sighed again. "And they recruited the last known Dragon Rider." He scrunched his lips. "I feel a little sorry for the kid. He's just getting corrupted by those people."

Percy frowned. "Do you know anything about him?" Percy inquired.

Michael let out a breath. "You're very curious about this, as well as the king. To be honest, I'm a little worried."

Percy shook his head. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just curious."

The pale boy nodded. "Well, I know he was the king's ward. The king took the boy in after his parents' died, and then he turns around and steals a dragon egg from the king."

Deimos rolled his eyes. "He wasn't even in danger. He runs off with the egg and joins the rebels. The king didn't want the Riders destroyed, at least I don't think so. He just wanted to put an end to their corruption," the blond added.

"Either way, it has caused some problems of late," Michael continued. "Just keep in mind that all of this is our opinion. It doesn't make it fact."

Percy nodded. So another Dragon Rider still existed. That made three then. And Percy didn't like either of them. He didn't want either of them being victorious. The king had slaughtered all those dragons, for whatever reason he may have had. How was that fair to the dragons? And then there was this rebel Rider. Percy didn't want to see the Riders returned to what they were. From what Gaea had told him, they treated their dragons like slaves or pets. He could never let that happen to Anaklusma or any other dragon.

But he was going to need help with Kronos. Gaea had given him orders to kill Kronos, not this other Rider. But Percy wasn't interested in him, he was interested in the Rider's allies. These rebels might be able to help him. They took in one Rider, how much would they want a second? He just needed to use them to get to Kronos.

Michael cleared his throat. "Anyways, I hate to do this, but we have some business to take care of," the boy said. "I trust that you can take care of yourself?"

Percy smirked as he glanced around the city. "I'll be fine," he assured Michael.

The raven haired boy smiled at him. "Good. Well, perhaps I shall see you later. Try not to get into too much trouble."

Percy nodded. Michael winked at him before heading into the city. Deimos gave him a nod before following after Michael. Percy stared at them until they were out of sight before looking around again. He let out a sigh. "Now how do I get to the castle?"

* * *

Nico groaned as his leg was kicked. He rolled onto his back and cracked an eye open to stare up at Poseidon. "We need to get moving," the man instructed before packing up their things.

Nico sighed and sat up. "Can I get cleaned up first?" Nico asked.

Poseidon grunted at him. "Just make it fast. Cerberus is out getting you food, so you have a little time."

Nico stood up and stretched his arms above his head. He let out a small yelp as his clothes were tossed at his face. He narrowed his eyes at Poseidon's back before heading down to the lake. They were just south of the capital, at the very lake that they had emerged at during their escape from the castle six years ago.

He could see the capital on the horizon, looking as magnificent and intimidating as ever. He didn't mind the city itself, it was just what it reminded him of. Kronos. He was unlikely to see the man, but his wanted poster would be all over the place. Olympus would always be the most dangerous place for him to be.

Nico sat down by the edge of the water and yanked off his boots. He removed the rest of his clothing and slid into the water. He dunked his head under the water for a few seconds before reemerging just in time to see Cerberus fly overhead. Nico ran a hand through his wet hair, pushing his black locks out of his face.

After a few seconds, Cerberus glided over and landed beside the lake, curling up by Nico's clothes. "Did you have a nice hunt?" Nico asked.

_"It wasn't as fun as hunting in the mountains, but I did find plenty of food," _the red dragon informed him.

"There are mountains just east of here, you know."

The dragon blew a puff of smoke at him, making Nico cough. Nico glared at his companion before dunking his head under the water again to wash off the smell of smoke. Nico swam over to the edge of the water and crossed his arms on the grass before resting his chin on them.

"Are you going to be all right while I'm in the capital?" The Rider asked.

The dragon's tail swished as he stared back at Nico. _"How will I ever survive without having to put up with you all day?"_

Nico rolled his eyes and pulled himself out of the water. He grabbed his undergarments and slid them on. "Would it kill you to say that you're going to miss me, or perhaps worry about me?" Nico grumbled.

Cerberus's head hit the ground, his eyes closing. The large dragon rolled onto his back, earning another eye roll from the Rider. Nico slid on a pair of black pants before putting his boots back on. Cerberus's tail lifted his dark leather jerkin. He slipped it onto his head and looked down at himself.

It was his usual attire. The only difference from how he dressed in Valterossa was that he didn't wear his cloak and hood in the rebel city. Outside of Valterossa, it was one of the things that kept his head attached to his body.

Cerberus made a rumbling noise as he placed his head in front of Nico. The Rider gave him a lopsided smile before placing his hand on Cerberus's snout. "Sorry, just thinking," he whispered.

_"You worry too much,"_ Cerberus said. _"Poseidon does that enough for all of us."_

Nico chuckled. He then let out a sigh and looked at the capital. "Just stay close, but make sure no one sees you."

_"No one is going to see me as high as I fly."_

Nico arched an eyebrow at Cerberus. "You sound awfully confident about that, considering Hyperion could be in the city."

Cerberus's reply was to snort smoke at Nico. The Rider let out an exasperated sigh before grunting and heading back to their campsite. Upon arrival, Poseidon handed him his food. "Hurry up and eat, we need to get going," the man instructed.

Nico sat down and began picking at his food, while Cerberus curled up behind him and began to devour a bull's carcass. Nico made a face, feeling slightly less hungry. "So, what's the plan?" Nico asked.

"Our main priority is to meet up with the rebels within the city," Poseidon replied. He pulled out Nico's cloak and sword. "Which means, you'll need these." He placed them down beside Nico, where the boy stared at them.

The cloak was a deep green color. Poseidon had it made to look worn and ragged, so that it would be less likely for Nico to stick out in a crowd. The cowl had a pointed tip, hanging down to his eyebrows. It cast a shadow over the top of his face, so that even if someone looked at him, they wouldn't be able to make out his face.

The sword had once belonged to Poseidon, from his days as a Rider. The sword's hilt was silver, with a red ruby in the center on both sides. The cross-guards of the sword pointed downward, forming the appearance of a trident. The blade was pure black with old markings etched into the hilt Nico had been shocked when Poseidon had given it to him, but the man had said he wanted Nico to have it. That he was supposed to have it.

Nico finished eating and grabbed the cloak. He stood up and fastened it on before raising the cowl to cover his head. He bent down and picked up his sword, placing it on his belt. He went over and pulled out his leather vambraces before slipping them on and fastening them. He walked over to Cerberus and placed a hand on the red snout of his dragon.

"Stay out of trouble," he whispered. He then gave Cerberus a stern look. "And be careful."

_"You be careful,"_ the dragon shot back as it flapped its wings and flew off.

"Ready?" Poseidon asked.

Nico nodded and walked over to his horse. The two mounted up and rode off towards the capital. "Why couldn't we just have gone the rest of the way last night?" Nico decided to ask.

Poseidon shrugged. "Less suspicious. You may blend in better with that on, but I don't want to chance what the guards might do if they saw you entering the city, dressed like that, in the dead of night," the man stated.

Nico's dark brown eyes drifted up to the capital, slowly drawing closer to them. He hated Olympus. It had been his prison for ten years, and held very few good memories. His mother had died giving birth to him in those walls. He wished he could have met her. His father had died when he was a child.

He didn't remember much about his father. He knew he looked like his father, almost an exact replica. His father had appeared the same age as Nico did now on the day that he died. Nico's father had been a cold man. And while he wasn't the loving father that Nico had always wanted, he had been a better man than Kronos. He had been Kronos's right hand man up until the day he died, and then Minos had filled the spot.

As they approached the gates to the city, Nico lowered his head. Poseidon led them over to the stables, where he gave a friendly nod to the stable boy there. He nodded off towards the city, and he and Nico began to walk through the streets.

It was just as busy and crowded as always. Every time he saw a guard patrol, his eyes would dart in their direction, following them until they left his line of sight. His wanted poster was more abundant in the capital, which was not surprising.

"Wait right here a moment," Poseidon instructed.

Nico nodded and the man walked off down an alleyway. Nico stared around at the taller buildings in the city. One thing he did like about this city, compared to Valterossa, was that it didn't feel as confining. Well, it did, but that was more the castle and less the city. But there were more people, which did make Nico a little uncomfortable. Perhaps it was all the time he spent in the wilderness with Cerberus and Poseidon, but he didn't like large populated cities that much.

Someone bumped into Nico's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to glare at the tall boy that had just passed him. "Watch where you're going," Nico snapped.

The boy turned around and blinked, searching for the person who yelled at him. He was a few inches taller than Nico, standing around six foot tall. He had black hair like Nico's, though this boy's hair was straighter than his own. His skin was tan and without a single blemish. He had slightly more muscle than Nico did. His eyes, though, were what Nico's own eyes focused on. They were sea-green in color, and had a very familiar feel to them. Almost like the color of...

Nico shook his head. He turned around before the green-eyed boy could locate him in the crowd. He let out a sigh when Poseidon walked back towards him. "Sorry about that," the man said.

Nico shook his head. "It's fine. Can we go now? I really want to get off the streets," Nico mumbled.

Poseidon nodded his head once before gesturing for them to walk again. Nico was led down several streets, until they came to a small house on one of the street corners. Poseidon knocked on the door and they waited for someone to answer.

An olive skinned woman answered the door. Her black hair was long and curled, draping onto her shoulders. A few bangs hung in her face, while the back was kept up in a small bun. A few flowers rested in her dark hair. She had light, warm brown eyes, which were busy inspecting both Nico and Poseidon. She had a few wrinkles on her face and a pair of small glasses rested on the brim of her nose. A smile finally appeared on her lips, though it kept to only one side of her mouth.

"You're late," the woman said to Poseidon.

"Sorry, Iris, but we're here now," Poseidon replied.

Iris stepped aside and gestured for them to enter her home. "Well, come in, come in."

Nico followed Poseidon inside. Iris poked her head out the door to make sure no one followed them. Two young men, a man, and two girls were in the room. The man stood in the corner, while the rest sat at a table.

The man was an average looking blond man. He had abnormally large blue eyes. He looked quick and agile, but also carried an air of strength about him. His hair was put in a ponytail and he had a scar running down his right arm. He had his hand on the sword on his belt, ready to strike if needed.

The first young man looked to be a year or two older than Nico. He was rather bulky and had a shaved head. In Nico's opinion, he looked like he had a sack of bricks land on his face. He had a tattoo on his right arm, a large black line wrapping around his bicep. He had dark hazel eyes and a cut on his left cheek.

The young man next to the first looked to be around the same age. He looked to be very tall, and was as buff as the young man sitting beside him. On top of his head sat a mass of black curls. His blue eyes seemed a little odd, like they weren't lined up right. As Nico looked at him, he felt his entire world was tilting slightly to the side. In his hand was a wooden cup, full of what Nico assumed was wine. He figured this because the young man's lips were tinged red.

The girl across from the intoxicated young man was rather short. Although, she slightly reminded Nico of Thalia from the way she dressed, the difference being that this girl had a slightly more muscular tone to her body. She looked rather young, and added with her height, Nico wasn't sure how old she was. Her hair was platinum blond, and could easily pass for white. Her hair was rather frizzy and stuck out all over her head. She had grey eyes, which shifted from light to dark in the light.

The final girl drew the majority of Nico's attention. Like Nico, she wore a cowl over her head, though hers was part of her dress. As he walked in front of her, he finally got a look at her face. She looked tall and slim, with beautiful red hair. A few freckles dotted her face and she had pale skin. She was very pretty, from what Nico could see of her face. But when Nico looked into her eyes, he felt like she was staring into his very soul. Her bright green eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

She was clad in a relatively simple dress. A few thin circular pieces of silver were attached to her cowl. Her hair was hidden, and Nico wouldn't have even known the color of it, if it weren't for a few strands hanging in her face. A line of black dots trailed down from her neck to her collarbone, spreading out to each of her shoulders.

Nico nearly jumped when Poseidon placed a hand on his shoulder. He tore his eyes away from the girl, feeling slightly uncomfortable, and swallowed. As his attention tried to focus on the rest of the house, he was fully aware that the green-eyed girl was still watching him.

Iris snapped her fingers at the non-drunk young man at the table. "Butch, get these two something to drink," she requested.

Butch grunted and stood up before walking back to the kitchen, mumbling a "Yes, mum," over his shoulder.

Nico stared down at the drinking young man. "I feel safer already," he mumbled.

Iris smirked at Nico before smacking the back of the black haired young man's head. "Dakota, stop your drinking. We have guests."

Dakota shot up in his chair, rubbing the back of his head. "Yes, ma'am," the young man apologized. His eyes drifted over to Nico. They squinted at him for a moment before widening. "Hey, your der Rider everybody's looking fur," he continued, slightly slurred.

Nico let out a sigh. Butch returned with two cups of, thankfully, water. Nico took his and tossed it back, feeling parched. Poseidon stared down at the blonde girl with a smile. "New addition, Iris?" He chuckled.

Iris looked up from preparing a tray of bread and fruit. "Ah, yes. This is Fleecy," the woman informed them.

"Hello," the girl greeted them in a sweet voice.

Poseidon nodded at the girl before looking at the mysterious girl. His forehead wrinkled and his lips tilted down into a frown. "And this?" The man asked, his voice lowered.

Iris's lips formed a thin line. "It seems the Rider here isn't the only person we will be sheltering right now," the raven haired woman said grimly.

"Who is she?"

Iris's eyes darted to the red haired girl, who was remaining silent. "She's a seeress."

Poseidon's brow furrowed, looking slightly astonished. "An Oracle?" He asked.

Iris gave a single nod. "You know, I'm taking a big risk doing this, Poseidon. I have been keeping her here for several days now, and then Chiron sends word that Nico was going to be coming here."

Poseidon placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Where did you find her?"

The girl finally looked up, staring straight into Poseidon's eyes. "Kronos was hunting me," she finally said. Her voice carried a weight of power behind it.

Iris sighed and nodded. "I don't know what for, but he's been doing a lot of this lately," the woman whispered.

Poseidon's lips tilted down. "What do you mean?" The green-eyed man inquired.

"Well, I don't know about Oracles, as the only other one than Rachel here, that I know of, is Phineus. However, there's talk of sorcerers disappearing."

Rachel's eyes settled back on Nico. "I know you," she said softly.

Nico's brow furrowed. "You do?" He asked.

The girl nodded. "I've been dreaming about you." She stared at Nico for several long seconds before speaking again. "And of him."

Nico's brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but there was a loud banging at the door. "Open up, in the name of the king!" Someone shouted.

Nico's eyes darkened at the door. But Poseidon knew what Nico was thinking. He grabbed Nico's shoulder and yanked him away from the door. "Safe room?" The man asked.

Iris was already busy tidying up. "Fleecy, get them to the room," she hissed.

Fleecy shot out of her chair and moved towards the kitchen. "This way, quickly," the girl whispered.

Poseidon shoved Nico forward. The Rider turned to scowl at his mentor, who was yanking Rachel up and pushing her after Nico. Fleecy stopped in front of the kitchen and walked over to a bookcase with a set of stairs wrapping around it. She kneeled down and reached into the lowest shelf. Nico heard a click, but nothing happened.

He was about to open his mouth to give a sarcastic remark, when Fleecy reached over to the wall and yanked a candelabra downwards. The bookshelf swung open, revealing another set of stairs, this one leading down. Fleecy quickly went down the stairs and motioned for them to follow.

"Open this door!" The guard yelled again.

Nico tossed a final look at the door before descending the stairs. Rachel and Poseidon followed closely behind him. Poseidon pressed a space on the wall and the bookshelf swung closed, casting them into darkness. "Poseidon, could you or Nico give me a hand with some light," came Fleecy's voice.

Nico felt his mentor shove past him. "Conflare," Poseidon muttered under his breath.

Fire appeared in Poseidon's palm, casting a dim light into the room. The man walked over to Fleecy and lit a candle she was holding out for him. After they were done, Fleecy sat it down on a nearby table. Nico glanced around at the room.

A few weapons and pieces of armor lay strewn about. There were several books and maps laying on another nearby table. One of Kronos's banners hung on one of the walls, having been ripped to shreds by a blade of some kind, probably a knife. He found some food stored on some shelves in a far corner, probably for rations. Other than that, the room was relatively barren.

Nico's attention drifted back over to Rachel, who had sat herself down in a corner. He slowly walked over to her and sat himself down near her. He slid his cowl off of his head and stared at the girl. "Can I ask about your dreams?" He said quietly.

The way the fire lit up Rachel's green eyes made Nico feel cold. "Be careful with the future, young Rider. Ask only what you need to know, nothing more," came her grim reply.

Nico hesitated for a moment. The hair on his arm was now standing up, leaving him with goosebumps. "You were dreaming about me? What about?"

Rachel's gaze stared off into space for a moment, as if she was trying to recall something. "You have a long journey ahead of you." Her brow furrowed. "The path is thin, and can easily be stumbled from. If you fail, it would mean the end of us all."

Nico attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. "You...you said you also dreamed of 'him'. Who were you speaking of?"

Rachel's green eyes darted back to meet Nico's brown ones. "One who walks the same path as you. Your roads will meet at this fork."

Nico's face reflected his confusion. "I don't understand."

The Rider jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up into Poseidon's stern green eyes. "That's enough," he hissed.

"Only what you need to know," Rachel repeated.

Poseidon's sea-green eyes turned on Rachel in a harsh stare. He yanked Nico to his feet and pulled the boy to the other side of the room. "What did I tell you about Dreamers?" He hissed.

"But-" Nico stopped himself, swallowing another lump. "But she's not one, she's an Oracle."

"What do you think an Oracle is?" Poseidon sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "They are Dreamers, yet they are not. They dream differently than other Dreamers."

Nico pursed his lips and nodded his head. "How?"

"Instead of dreaming of themselves, they dream of the future of others. Fragmented pieces, but still dreams of power. Yet, they can dream anywhere, opposed to needing a place of power."

Nico opened his mouth to reply, but footsteps above them caused Poseidon's hand to clamp over Nico's mouth. "Is this really necessary?" Iris asked.

"Just doing my job, ma'am," came a voice that sounded slightly familiar to Nico. He frowned to himself. He couldn't quite place it, but he was sure he knew that voice from somewhere.

"There aren't any rebels here," Butch grunted, sounding annoyed.

"I think I'll be the judge of that," the familiar voice said. There were some more footsteps. "Well?"

"We can't find anything, sir," someone said.

Nico's breath hitched as he heard someone walk up to the bookshelf. Fleecy pulled out a knife and Poseidon placed his hand on his sword. "Could I get you Bacchus's special brew to take to the king?" Iris asked, her voice rising slightly.

There was a long silence and the figure in front of the bookshelf moved away. "You have it here?" The familiar voice asked curiously.

"I do." Iris snapped her fingers. "Dakota, fetch the bottle your father sent by you."

There was some movement upstairs. "Here you are," Dakota said, sounding more sober now.

There was another long pause. When Nico was starting to get concerned, the familiar voice spoke again. "Very well. I'll make sure that the king gets this right away. Men, let's move out. We have more homes to search."

Nico breathed a sigh of relief as he heard a lot of footsteps heading for the door. He heard Iris bid the guards farewell before shutting the door. They all stayed still, though, until the bookshelf swung open. "You can come out now," Iris called.

Nico and the others slowly walked back up the stairs. The walked back into the dining room, where Nico sat down at the table with Rachel and Dakota. "What was that about?" Poseidon asked.

Iris sighed as she began putting the trays of food away. "The king has been ordering searches, in attempt to find us rebels," she said.

"And the wine?"

Iris pursed her lips. "I was getting desperate."

Poseidon's brow wrinkled. "That was about Nico, wasn't it? You risked his exposure?"

Iris quickly shook her head. "No, never. I knew it would get him to leave." She sighed. "The one in charge was one of us. I knew that he wouldn't try exposing the sanctuary if he knew Nico was down there."

Poseidon sighed, but nodded his head. "As long as nothing bad happens because of it," he relented.

"Who was it?" Nico inquired. He knew that the voice had sounded familiar.

"Best not to say," Butch grunted. The young man sighed and sat down next to Dakota. "We don't want to risk his exposure."

Nico glanced at Poseidon, who was staring at Iris. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation. The woman finally nodded and Poseidon gave a grunt. Did Poseidon know who it was? Was he asking for confirmation?

Iris cleared her throat, glancing at her son. "Speaking of him, Butch, you need to go pick up the dead drop," she instructed.

Butch grunted. "Great. It seems like such a good day to go," he grumbled.

Nico looked from Butch to Iris. "I can do it," the Rider said.

Poseidon gave Nico a stern look, crossing his arms. "I don't think-" the man began, but Nico cut him off.

"It's just a dead drop. All I have to do is pick it up and come straight back."

Poseidon sighed. "Very well. Just be careful."

Nico smiled and stood up. He came to a stop beside Iris and Poseidon. "Where is it?"

Iris smiled at him. "It's in the market district. There's a large tree between two buildings. You need to sit down in front of it. You need to sit on the side where it looks like an animal burrowed underneath it. Sit down with your back to the tree and slip your hand underneath it," she carefully instructed.

Nico nodded his head before placing his cowl back over his head. As he was about to open the door, Poseidon grabbed his arm. "Come straight back," he whispered.

Nico nodded again before heading out the door. He made his way through the crowds of citizens, weaving through those that decided to stop and chat. He didn't make an attempt to stop and stare at anything. Part of him wanted to get all of their business over with as fast as possible. The sooner they could leave Olympus, the better.

As he entered the market district, his eyes traveled up to the castle looming above them in the distance. His lips formed a thin line as he stared at the black walls surrounding it. He pulled his attention away and stared at a fountain in front of him. The city wasn't as bad as the capital, nor were the people as bad as Kronos. If they were, he wouldn't really have any reason to fight. They were just blind, it wasn't their fault.

Nico's dark eyes searched around the area until he spotted the tree that Iris spoke of. He walked into the alleyway and tilted his head to look at the hole that had been dug under the tree. He glanced behind him before placing his back to the tree and sitting down. The Rider placed his hand beside him and slipped it backwards.

As he was searching the spot, several guards marched into the alleyway and pointed swords at Nico's cloaked form. "Looks like we found ourselves a rebel," one of them said with a smirk.

Nico sighed and withdrew his hand. He slowly stood up with his hands raised in front of him. "Now, now, gentlemen, there's no need for trouble. Just let me walk away, and we can forget all about this," he tried.

One of the guards laughed at him. "Begging won't help ya."

Nico's brow arched behind his cowl. "Actually, I was giving you that warning for your benefit."

* * *

Percy sighed as he stared at the large walls surrounding the castle. There didn't seem to be a good way in. Guards were posted everywhere. The castle seemed to be mocking him from behind its walls. However, the only way he could find to get in would to either fly in with Anaklusma, or charge in the front gate. Neither seemed that appealing to Percy.

He sighed again and stood up. He looked around for a moment before deciding on a direction. He wondered what he should do now. He could always try and find Michael, but he didn't even know where to begin his search.

Percy rubbed the back of his head as he continued to walk. His brow furrowed as someone bumped into his shoulder. He scowled at the muscular man that continued walking, ignoring Percy's existence. That was the third time today. Was there no consideration in this land?

Percy felt Anaklusma's mind reaching out to him. He frowned and opened their link. _"What's wrong?" _He asked.

_"There's something you need to come see,"_ the dragon replied.

Percy sighed. _"I'm a little busy right now. Can't it wait?"_

Anaklusma growled at him through their link. _"I found a dragon."_

Percy rolled his eyes. _"So? It's probably a wild dragon looking for food,"_ he rationalized.

_"No," _Anaklusma said firmly. _"This was a tame dragon. He had supplies on his back. There's another Rider in the city."_

Percy stopped in his tracks. He looked around at everyone, analyzing them carefully. It could be anyone. He swallowed. _"Well, where is the dragon now?"_

There was a pause before dragon's response came. _"I don't know. He was a little fast. He was growling at me as I approached, but then something drew his attention away. Before I could get any closer, he had taken off."_

Percy's brow furrowed. So the other Dragon Rider was in Olympus as well? And he was supposed to be connected to the rebels. Percy let out an aggravated growl. As much as it pained him, if he wanted to find the rebels, he was going to have to find this Rider.

_"Keep looking,"_ Percy requested before cutting off their link.

He continued on his way, making sure to look around at every person that he passed. He knew it wouldn't do him any good, though. Still, it was the best that he could do. All he needed to do was use this Rider to find the rebels. After that, Percy could just ignore him. In all honesty, he wanted nothing to do with the Rider. And if he tried to stand in the way of Percy rebuilding the Order in the way that Percy wanted, he would run the Rider through with his blade. He wasn't going to have any more mistreatment of dragons in the Order.

As Percy made his way through the city, something drew his attention. There was a lot of shouting going on up ahead. He frowned and quickened his pace slightly. His hand carefully traveled down to his sword. As he drew closer, he could make out the sounds of sword fighting.

He rounded the corner to find several guards circled around a cloaked figure. He frowned. That wasn't very fair. He was about to jump in, when two guards attempted to attack the mysterious figure. Like lightning, the cloaked person slashed through the first attacker before grabbing the second one's head and smashing it into the side of a building. He swung around and kicked another guard in the chest before driving his blade into a fourth one's chest.

Whoever this was, they moved with greater agility than Percy had not expected from anyone here. His sea-green eyes turned a shade darker. It couldn't be, could it? Was this the Rider? Percy wasn't sure. But, from the guards' yelling, he knew that it was, at the very least, a rebel.

Percy's eyes widened slightly as the cloaked figure kicked one of the guards into the others, sending them all tumbling backwards. Before Percy could finish blinking, the mysterious fighter had taken off down the streets, knocking over barrels, carts, and people. Percy growled slightly before taking off after him. He was not going to lose this chance to find the rebels.

As Percy followed after the possible Rider; the guy kept glancing back at Percy. It was almost as if he was surprised that Percy could even keep up with him. He bolted down around a corner, out of Percy's sight. Percy frowned and gave chase.

As he rounded the corner, he found the tip of a black sword pointing at his throat. "Why are you following me?" Came the cloaked figure's voice, also confirming for Percy that it was, in fact, a male.

"Get that sword out of my face," Percy growled, knocking the tip away.

The hooded boy took a small step back and swung at Percy. The green-eyed boy jumped back before reaching for his own sword. He glared and swung his celestial bronze blade at the slightly shorter male. Percy grunted as he received a swift kick in the chest.

He placed a hand over the spot and glared at the boy as he ran off. Not about to give up, Percy grabbed his sword tightly in his hand and took off. As they entered another large space, the hooded boy suddenly came to a stop and spun around to strike at Percy. The green-eyed boy parried before attempting his own swing.

The two exchanged quick blows, each one being parried successfully. And while Percy could tell he was stronger than this boy, the other had the advantage of speed. Percy was learning really fast that he was going to have to watch out for the boy's legs, as the hooded figure made several attempts to knee or kick him.

Percy lunged at the boy, tackling him to the ground. Before Percy could realize what had happened, he was being kicked off and thrown into several barrels. He rolled back onto his feet and blocked two swings from the other's black sword. On the second swing, the hilt suddenly caught his attention.

The hilt of the boy's blade seemed familiar to Percy somehow. It was too hazy in his head to recall, though. But he was sure he had seen that blade hilt somewhere before. "Where did you get that sword?" He asked, his brow furrowing. He pushed against his own sword and shoved the other boy back.

The cloaked boy tilted his head to the side and stared down at his sword. He then pointed its tip at Percy. "None of your business," the boy growled.

Percy narrowed his eyes before swinging his sword. The mysterious boy stepped to the side and grabbed Percy's arm. He swung around behind Percy and pressed his back against Percy's own. Percy was forced to bend over as the other fighter rolled across his back and kicked him in the side. Percy narrowed his eyes again and charged the other.

He blocked an attack from the shorter boy before elbowing the cloaked figure and knocking him into a wall. The boy grunted before Percy grabbed him by the boy's jerkin and tossed him to the side. He made an attempt to swing at the other boy, but the cloaked figure rolled underneath the attack.

As they locked blades again, several guards appeared. Percy heard the other boy let out a sigh. They pushed apart and stared at each other for a moment. The guards, not waiting for them to make any form of decision, attacked them. Percy, wanting to get back to what he was doing, made quick work to cut through any that came at him. If this other boy was the other Dragon Rider, he wanted to make it very clear that he was the more dominant of the two. He was not going to let this other Rider walk over him.

The cloaked figure drove his blade through a guard's chest. He swiveled around and raised the guard's sword arm with his free hand, just in time to block an attack from another guard with a spear. He kicked the dead guard away before ducking under another attack from the spear. As the spear was going over his head, he grabbed it and pulled the guard closer. The cloaked boy quickly grabbed the guard's head and snapped his neck.

Apparently, the other boy saw an opening, as he kicked a guard away and bolted away. He leapt on top of a box and swung from a sign. A cart came rolling by and the boy leapt into it before climbing out on the other side. When the cart passed, the boy had vanished.

Percy growled and cleaved his sword into a guard's skull, completely cutting through the helmet. He wasn't going to lose that boy now! Percy struck the ground with his sword and yelled, "Saxum displode!"

The ground around Percy went off like an explosion. The guards were flung backwards rather harshly. Percy sheathed his blade and took off in the direction that he had last seen the cloaked figure. His eyes quickly scanned through the city, but didn't have much luck. He occasionally found where the boy had knocked some things over, but that was about it.

As he neared the outer rim of the city, Anaklusma flew overhead. _"Percy, I found him. He's with his Rider preparing to leave. We must hurry!"_ The dragon yelled into his mind.

Percy ran straight up the stone steps of the city's wall. The guards yelled at him to get down, but he paid them no attention. Without a pause, Percy ran straight to the edge and jumped. As he fell, Anaklusma flew in and caught him on her back. Percy held onto her neck until he got situated on her.

Anaklusma quickly flew into the air before anyone could attempt to shoot her down. She changed course slightly and headed northeast. As they flew through the air, Percy could make out what looked like another dragon ahead of them. So it was the other Rider then? Percy pressed himself against his dragon's body as the blue and white dragon made an attempt to catch up.

"They seem to be slowed down!" Percy yelled out over the wind.

_"Probably from those supplies I saw on him,"_ Anaklusma reasoned.

"Then let's use it to our advantage!"

Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be catching up to them. They seemed to be at a matched speed, possibly from a combination of Anaklusma's jewelry and the weight the other dragon was carrying. But, fortunately for Percy, the other dragon wasn't losing them either.

The other dragon made several attempts at losing them. First, it flew up into the clouds. And when that didn't work, it dove closer to the ground. Unfortunately, by this point, they were traveling over a desert, so there wasn't anywhere to hide.

When they finally reached some woods, the other dragon descended once again. But this time, it landed. Anaklusma flew down after him and landed several feet away. The two dragons roared and growled at each other as Percy climbed off his dragon's back. He placed a hand on Anaklusma's snout to calm her down.

"Rider, I wish to speak to you," Percy called over to the large red dragon, who had its wings up to shield its Rider.

As the wings finally lowered, Percy saw that it was, in fact, the cloaked boy from Olympus that sat on the dragon's back. "How do you have a dragon?" The boy asked carefully.

"I'm a Rider as well. I need to find the rebels, and I hear you can take me to them."

The boy sighed and pulled off his hood, revealing his face to Percy. He had shaggy black hair that had a slight curl to it and hung down into his eyes. He had pale olive skin and dark brown eyes. There was something within the boy's eyes, something dark and mad, yet also warmth. And, as he climbed off his red dragon's back, Percy got a feel for his height. The boy came up to Percy's mouth. He was also slightly less muscular than Percy was. He was lean and slender.

Percy licked his lips, his eyes dilating slightly. Even if he was supposed to hate this Rider, he wanted him. There was no harm in that, right? The boy stared back at him curiously, arching an eyebrow at Percy.

"There aren't supposed to be any other Riders," the boy finally said.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I am one," he replied. He gestured to his dragon. "This is Anaklusma."

"Cerberus," the boy said, nodding his head towards the red dragon.

The two dragons had finally stopped growling at each other. The brown-eyed Rider rolled his eyes and turned his gaze upon his dragon. Percy frowned. What were they talking about? The boy finally sighed. Someone else climbed off Cerberus's back, but Percy still watched the other Rider, who was beginning to glare at him.

The boy cautiously walked up to Percy and held out his hand. "The name's Nico," the slightly shorter Rider said.

Percy stared down at the hand in confusion. "Um, what am I supposed to do with that?" He asked.

Nico stared back at him like he was crazy. "You shake it."

Percy's head cocked to the side. "Why?"

Nico pulled back his hand to stare at him. He frowned. "I'm not really sure. That's just how people say hello."

Percy's eyes dilated more. "I could think of other ways to say hello," he purred.

Nico took a step back and pushed a hand against Percy's chest. "I think you're barking up the wrong tree, friend."

Percy's head tilted once again. "What tree?"

Nico sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. I'm not interested. Do you understand that much?"

Percy frowned. "Not really. What reason do you have not to be?"

"Well, for starters I'm in a committed relationship."

Percy arched a brow. "A what?" He asked.

Nico sighed again. "Anyways, I never got your name."

Percy blinked, having been staring at Nico's lips as they moved. "Oh, I'm Percy."

"Percy?" Came another voice.

Percy looked behind Nico to find a man standing beside Cerberus. He looked vaguely familiar, and he actually carried a lot of the same features Percy did. But Percy could not place him. The man's face seemed cloudy in Percy's mind. He frowned and his brow furrowed. He clutched his head as he felt a headache coming on.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" He asked politely.

The man frowned at him. Nico stared between them for a moment. The man took a step closer. "Percy, it's me. It's your father."

_As much as I did enjoy having Percy and Nico finally meet, I think I enjoyed introducing Rachel more. What was your favorite thing or person introduced this chapter? Favorite thing that happened? I suppose I wonder if any of you have your curiosities peaked about a certain thing that occurred this chapter. For any of you that read Children of Loss, I'm working on the chapter right now. It should be out within a week. I do think some time away from that story has done me some good. New ideas and inspiration have come, not just for that story, but for all of them. This chapter was written a month ago, so it doesn't have the inspiration, though I did enjoy it. Genesis will be out soon. I'll be working through the next two chapters of that fic, so that I can post the first chapter. Anyways, I'll see you all next time. Stay awesome._


	4. Chapter 4

_It's nearly six in the morning, why aren't I in bed? I seem to have this problem a lot whenever I get sick. Anyways, I'm updating this a little earlier for luckyducky, since she was dying to know about Percy and Poseidon's reunion, and something about dragons. There are dragons in this story? Holy crap! Why am I awake? I also have the song from the new trailer of Mad Men stuck in my head. I may watch me some of that. Also, this chapter is a little shorter than the last few chapters. It's actually short in general for my chapters lately._

_I've also made the decision to never do a fic like this again, or Shadows. No more magical fairytale based in ye olde times. I think I want to do more stuff like Children of Loss, character driven stories. I am going to do my best to stick both of these stories out and finish them, though. But I might shift a lot of my focus onto Children for a while. And I had to push back Genesis. I had originally planned on putting it out this week, but I have to rewrite chapters two and three, so it'll be a little longer. I think that's all the news I have for now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter._

_Warning: Sexual situations. Language. Violence._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

Chapter 4

Nico blinked in surprise after hearing Poseidon's revelation. Hadn't his son been dead? And, yet, here the boy was, standing in front of them. The very same boy that Nico had bumped into in the capital. And who also happened to be a Rider.

Percy scratched his head as Poseidon slowly approached. Anaklusma growled at the man and he came to a stop. "Percy?" Poseidon whispered.

Percy's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember my father."

Nico pursed his lips. The two did look alike. One key difference, though, was that Poseidon had a beard, while Percy had no traces of facial hair. They also spoke differently. There was something in Percy's voice, an odd accent that Nico had never heard before. Yet, it sounded somehow familiar. It was very similar to the way Cerberus sounded when he spoke to Nico in his head, but different somehow.

Nico's eyes flickered back over to this boy that Poseidon thought was his son. "I thought your son was dead?"

Poseidon frowned, but didn't pull his gaze away from Percy's confused face. "Perhaps it wasn't him." He reached out for Percy again, only to have the boy smack the hand away. "It was just a burnt body. Perhaps it wasn't Percy's."

"Or perhaps you're mistaken," Percy reasoned, glaring at Poseidon, silently warning him to stop trying to touch him.

And then, something surprising happened. Percy's dragon actually opened her mouth and began speaking, though Nico couldn't understand it. The language felt old and powerful. The voice was deep for a dragon that was supposed to be female. Although, Nico wasn't quite sure how a female dragon was supposed to sound. It was guttural and resonant.

Percy then turned his head and frowned at his dragon. And it confused Nico. It was like the Rider actually understood the dragon. He then opened his mouth and began speaking in the same speech as his dragon, his voice growing deeper.

Nico turned his head to Cerberus, who had his head tilted to the side. The two looked at each other for a moment, both wondering the same thing. Could these two really communicate with each other outside of the Rider link?

_"Can you understand them?"_ Nico asked Cerberus through their mental link.

_"Not particularly. I catch a few words here and there, but the dialect isn't familiar to me."_

Nico blew out a breath. He clicked his tongue before taking a step forward and clearing his throat. "Not to put a damper on this already...heart-warming reunion, but we should probably get into the mountains," he reasoned. He pursed his lips when Percy's eyes traveled back over to him and roamed down his body once. He let out a sigh. He could already tell that there were going to be problems between the two of them.

Poseidon slowly nodded, taking a step back from Percy. "He's right. After all of that back at the capital, the two of you, no doubt, attracted the attention of the king." The man made his way back over to Cerberus. "He doesn't need to get his hands on either of you." He turned to frown at Percy. "I already discussed this with Nico, but I think you should hear this too. I think that it is best if you stay away from the king until you are ready to face him."

Percy's eyes narrowed at the man. "You have no right to tell me what to do."

Poseidon locked his jaw. "I am your father, whether you choose to believe it or not."

Percy's fists tightened at his side. "If you are my father, then you abandoned me. You gave up on me, and for him!" The green-eyed Rider jutted an accusatory finger in Nico's direction.

"I thought you were dead," Poseidon hissed.

Nico sighed. "Seriously, we need to move. We can have this dysfunctional family meeting later."

Cerberus and Anaklusma both lowered themselves to allow their Riders to climb on. Both dragon shot into the air and Cerberus led them towards the mountains in the distance. Nico let out a heavy breath as they flew. What did all of this mean for them now?

"Do you really think he's your son?" Nico asked.

He could almost feel Poseidon frowning behind him. "I'm positive. I know my son, even if it has been six years."

"He does look just like you." Nico hoped that would cheer the man up. He didn't like it when his mentor was depressed. He thought the man worried too much. Nico licked his lips and furrowed his brow. "Are we going to take him to the rebels? He said he was looking for them."

Poseidon was silent for a moment. "I do want to take him to Valterossa. Two Riders will be better than one."

Nico clicked his tongue. "But we don't know anything about this guy," he reasoned, turning around slightly to give Poseidon a look. "He could be dangerous. What if he's a spy?"

Poseidon chuckled. "For who? I doubt he's a spy for the king. Like Iris said, we have someone on the inside. I'm sure we would have been notified. Not to mention that Kronos probably would have already attempted to crush the rebels, or Rosalia."

Cerberus turned his head to look at Nico with his left eye. _"You're just bothered by the fact that he knew you for less than a minute before trying to get into your pants."_

Nico glared at his dragon before the beast turned his head back around. They touched down on a cliff on one of the mountains that surrounded Valterossa like a large forest. They could see the forest that they had just crossed over below them. Nico slid off the back of his dragon, Poseidon following along behind him. Percy and his dragon landed next to him and the Rider jumped off his dragon's back.

Nico watched as the Rider crouched down and went through a sack that he pulled off with him. The boy pulled out a few jewels and laid them out in front of Anaklusma, and the dragon swept them up with her claw, gathering them in a pile. Nico scratched his head and turned to Cerberus, who just grunted.

_"How come I never see you play with treasure?"_ Nico asked.

Cerberus blew out smoke through his nostrils. _"Because I have better things to do with my time."_

Nico turned his head and his eyes widened, suddenly finding Percy in front of him. The boy had a grin on his face as he tilted his head to the side and stared down at Nico. The brown-eyed Rider shoved the other Rider's chest, causing him to stumble back. Percy bit down on his lip, his eyes dilating.

Nico glared at him. "If you touch me in my sleep, I will cut off your cock."

Percy chuckled. "You're more than welcome to try."

Poseidon let out a sigh as he walked between the two Riders. "We're going to need some food and firewood," he announced, seemingly unaware of the issues Nico was having with their new addition. "Cerberus, would you mind going hunting? And you could take me down to get some firewood."

Percy frowned as Cerberus lowered himself so that Poseidon could climb onto his back. He ran his tongue along his teeth with a cold look on his face. "I think Ana and I will go hunting as well."

Poseidon's eyebrows rose. "That's all right, son, Cerberus usually brings back plenty."

If looks could kill, Poseidon would have been dead from the look Percy gave him. The boy's nostrils flared. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. After all, I didn't have a _dad_ around to do anything for me. Now, like I said, Ana and I will be hunting as well." He brushed past Nico rather roughly, whispering, "Lazy Rider."

Nico glared at the green-eyed boy's back as he climbed onto his dragon and flew off into the woods below. Poseidon frowned to himself before following after him on Cerberus. Nico huffed and sat down with his back against a bolder. He could already tell that this was such a great idea.

Nico let out a sigh, realizing that he probably should have gone with him. Now he was all alone. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the rock behind him, opening his mental link with Cerberus. _"I don't think I was doing a lot of thinking when I let you all fly off without me."_

He heard his dragon's rumbling laughter in his head. _"Would you like me to turn around and come get you?"_

Nico scrunched his lips._ "No, I'll be all right. Just don't take too long. I don't want to be here alone when Percy returns."_

_ "Afraid he's going to molest you?"_

Nico rolled his eyes. _"Afraid he's going to try. I'm not sure he's intelligent enough to know what I mean when I say no."_

Cerberus sighed exasperatedly. _"Neither of them seem of high intellect. Did you see what his dragon was wearing? So fearsome."_

Nico couldn't help but smile. _"You don't think she's a pretty dragon?" _He asked in amusement. _"Because, you know, you're probably going to have to mate with her, so we can have more dragon eggs."_

There was a long pause, and Nico wondered if Cerberus was ignoring him. He finally received a grunt. _"She'll have to lose all the jewelry, and I'll need to be heavily intoxicated."_

Nico chuckled and rolled his eyes. _"Well, I don't think Chiron will be willing to provide you with the wine, considering the time you raided their storage and were found amongst empty and broken barrels of the stuff."_

Cerberus grunted again. _"I wanted to know what you humans' fascination with the substance was all about." _There was a pause. _"And if I do recall correctly, you were on the floor beside me."_

Nico smiled and placed his hands behind his head. _"That was a fun night."_

_"Well, I've got the food. I'm going to round up the old man and head back now,"_ Cerberus announced.

About a minute later, Nico heard the flapping of wings below the cliff. He stood up, expecting it to be Cerberus and Poseidon, only to be disappointed when Percy and his dragon flew up and landed. Anaklusma tossed three deer she had killed over by her small pile of jewels. Percy lugged a deer for himself across the ground.

Nico walked over to the other boy as he began cutting chunks of meat from the deer. He arched an eyebrow at the crouched Rider's back. "Isn't that a lot of food, just for one person?"

Percy turned his head slightly to glare at Nico, who blinked at him in mild surprise. "Don't touch my food," the taller Rider growled.

Nico rolled his eyes. "And what are you going to do if I do?" He moved a hand to act like he was going to try grabbing one of the slices Percy had cut off. He had no real intention of bothering the food, but he wasn't going to let this new Rider tell him what he could or couldn't do. "I'm not sca-"

Percy's hand shot out and grabbed Nico's wrist. Nico's eyes widened as he was flung onto his back. He stared up at Percy, who had climbed on top of him and now held a knife to his throat. "Don't. Touch. My. Food."

Nico narrowed his eyes at Percy. With another thundering gust of wind, Cerberus landed with Poseidon. The man climbed off rather quickly, having noticed the two squabbling Riders. "What is going on here?" He demanded.

Percy didn't budge. Nico's hand shot up and grabbed the hand that held the knife. After getting a firm hold on it, he flipped Percy over his head, where he landed on his back. Nico stood up and brushed himself off. "Just bonding."

Poseidon arched an eyebrow and looked behind Nico. He seemed interested in something, so Nico turned around. He yelped as he was tackled by Percy, who pinned his hands above his head. Nico squirmed under him, but was unable to free his hands. Percy just stared down at him with distant and cold eyes.

The taller Rider's eyes roamed down to Nico's stomach, where some skin was being exposed. Nico narrowed his eyes and attempted to kick Percy off of him again, but failed. Percy smirked down at him before placing a hand on Nico's pale stomach.

They both looked up when Poseidon cleared his throat. "If you two are quite through, we need to eat."

Percy smirked down at Nico again before releasing the brown-eyed boy's hands and climbing off. Nico rubbed his wrists as he scowled at Percy. Poseidon had already managed putting together a small fire, and had begun cooking some of their food.

Percy picked up a stick and walked over to where he had left his food. He skewered each piece of meat before walking over to the fire and sitting down. Anaklusma was curled up not far behind Percy, scarfing down her food. Cerberus grunted at her from behind Nico before returning to his own meal.

_"I don't like him,"_ Nico informed his dragon.

_"His dragon isn't much better,"_ Cerberus replied. Nico glanced back over to the blue and white dragon. _"Riders' dragons are supposed to wear armor, not jewelry."_

Nico smirked to himself. _"You don't think she looks terrifying?"_

Cerberus flicked his tail. _"I'm positively shaking. I'm sure she terrifies all who opposes her." _The red dragon narrowed his eyes at the other dragon before snorting. Anaklusma raised her head and growled at him. _"What a pretty princess you are, pretty maiden."_

The black slits in Anaklusma's eyes shrank until they were thin lines. She shot onto her feet and roared at Cerberus, who only swished his tail back and forth, giving her a dull look. Percy frowned at the two of them.

All three of the humans ducked as fire flew out of Anaklusma's mouth and shot across the fire. Cerberus opened his mouth and released his own torrent of fire. The two dragons moved towards the other, while their flames clashed in the center. Poseidon scowled at both young Riders. "Call them off!"

Percy frowned at Nico. "My dragon wasn't the one who started it. Cerberus shouldn't go around insulting my dragon."

Anaklusma swiped her claw at Cerberus, catching him across the side. The red dragon roared in pain before trying to take off. Anaklusma swiped her tail out and caught him in the air, knocking him into the side of the mountain.

"I said enough!" Poseidon yelled, but the dragons didn't seem to be listening. The man turned to both of the Riders. "Call them off. Now!"

Nico sighed. _"Can you two please calm down?"_

Cerberus shot into the air and Anaklusma followed after him. _"I'm trying not to get killed right now, Nico. It seems she wants to 'bite off my head and use it as a crown'."_

Nico pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to glare at Percy, who had gone back to eating. They both looked up as Anaklusma roared in pain. Apparently, Cerberus had rammed her from the side. Now that he wasn't weighed down by Nico, Poseidon, and their supplies, the dragon was making good use of his speed.

As he made an attempt to circle around, Anaklusma kicked him in the snout with her hind leg. Cerberus growled and snapped at her leg. Anaklusma turned around to land another blow to him, but Nico's dragon had already taken off into the night sky. Percy's dragon roared and flew off into the clouds after him.

Nico sat down with a sigh. "She better not kill Cerberus," he growled.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe your dragon should learn how to fight, instead of running off."

Nico glared at the other Rider. "He knows how to fight just fine! And he's not running! He's faster, and he knows it."

Percy was about to open his mouth, when a roar and fire could be heard overhead. They looked up to see flames shooting around in the clouds. Anaklusma roared in pain. Percy's brow furrowed. He turned a cold gaze on Nico. "Tell your dragon to fight fair."

Nico smirked and stuck out his tongue. "It's called strategy. Perhaps _your_ dragon should learn it."

Poseidon sat down between them with an exasperated sigh. "Percy, please call off your dragon. I know for a fact that Cerberus will yield if she backs off."

Percy glared at the man for a moment before taking a bite of his food. "Yield? Why? She's stronger than him."

Poseidon glared at his son. "Just do as you're told."

The green-eyed Rider chuckled coldly. "You're not my dad, sorry to tell you. And, even if you are, you have no authority over me." He stood up with his food and glared down at Poseidon. "So don't tell me what to do. The sooner we get to the rebels, the sooner I can be away from you." With that, he walked over to where Anaklusma had been eating.

Nico sighed as he looked at the hurt look on Poseidon's face. He turned a cold stare on Percy. "Just do as he asked. Either way their fight goes, the rebels probably won't take you if you don't stop it now."

Percy glared at Nico as he took a bite of his food, but didn't respond.

Nico shook his head in frustration. "If my dragon kills yours, then the rebels have less of a use for you. That, and you lose your dragon. If she kills mine, do you really think they are going to let you join them? They won't take you if your dragon runs the risk of eating them for the littlest thing."

Percy glared back at Nico with a look that could freeze a volcano. He locked his jaw and finally looked away. "Whatever," he mumbled under his breath.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief when the sounds of fighting above them finally came to an end. Anaklusma flew down first, curling up around Percy. They both looked her wounds over, while Cerberus descended from the sky.

Nico sighed as he got a look at him. He had a claw mark on his side, a cut on the side of his skull, and a deep-looking gash on his leg. Nico shook his head with a frown and sat his food down. He stood up and walked over to his dragon, where he knelt down at his side.

He caught his dragon's eye. _"No more fights. Please? I don't like it when you get hurt like this, and I don't want to see how bad she might hurt you next time."_

Cerberus's tail moved out to brush against Nico's cheek. _"It's just a scratch."_

Nico smiled and held his hands out over the dragon's leg. "Well, I suppose I have a lot of work to do on you tonight," he whispered.

An hour later, Nico still had his hands hovering over Cerberus's body. A bright blue light emitted from his hands, while the wounds across the dragon's body began to close. He was still learning some of the words of power, and the spell for healing was one that he hadn't quite grasped yet.

A deep rumbling sounded from within Cerberus as the dragon lifted his head off the ground to stare at Nico. _"You should rest, Nico. You're only hurting yourself."_

Nico's breathing had grown ragged during the process. His head felt dizzy and he could feel his own life essence begin to waver. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine," he whispered.

Cerberus stared at him for a moment longer before resting his head on the ground again. _"If you don't learn your limits, you're going to kill yourself one day."_

Nico felt tears burning against his eyes. He blinked several times, trying to will them away. _"I'm not going to lose you."_

_"It was just a scratch, Nico. You worry too much."_ The dragon's tail snaked its way around Nico and gave his middle a squeeze. _"I'm concerned for how you will react when the day comes when I truly am injured."_

Nico bit down on his lip and tried to focus his attention on the wounds on Cerberus. He nearly jumped when a hand appeared in front of him and steadied his own. He looked up to find Percy watching him curiously. "What do you want?" Nico asked bitterly.

Percy released his hands and took a step back. "You're exhausting yourself." His green eyes moved to look Cerberus over. "The wounds are gone."

Nico frowned and attempted to go back to work. "He still has scars."

"Scars are the sign of a warrior. He should wear them with pride."

The brown-eyed Rider scowled up at the other. "He wouldn't have any at all if you're dragon could learn to take some criticism."

Percy smirked and shrugged. "She is a little overdramatic," he said. Anaklusma's head rose off the ground and she snorted smoke. Percy smiled at her. "But I love her anyways." The dragon narrowed her eyes before resting her head back on the ground, covering her head with her wing.

"Fascinating. Now, go back to talking with your father and leave me to my work."

Percy frowned down at Nico. "Firstly, he's not my father-"

"Yes, he is," Nico retorted. "You look just like him."

The other Rider rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyways, I'm tired of talking to him. All he did was ask me questions, wondering where I've been."

Nico shrugged, rubbing Cerberus's scales, wanting to make sure all the scars were gone. "Can't blame him. You were gone for six years." Nico finally looked up at Percy. "He thought you were dead."

Percy blew out a breath. "I've taken care of myself. I don't need him, even if he is my father."

Nico eyed Percy curiously. "Where were you anyways? If you weren't killed, then you seemingly just disappeared with your dragon...for six years."

The green-eyed boy stared down at Nico blankly. "I was busy."

Nico stared at Percy for a moment before shrugging. "Whatever. You should tell your father, though."

"No."

The shorter Rider rolled his eyes and stood up. He placed a hand on Cerberus's side and turned to face Percy, who still was standing there beside him. Nico arched a brow. "Is there something else?"

Percy maneuvered closer, invading Nico's personal space. The shorter Rider arched an eyebrow at him and took a step back. "I was thinking you and I could...get to know each other a little better, since we are going to have to be working together."

Nico's hand shot up and pressed against Percy's face as the taller Rider made a move to lean in towards Nico. The brown-eyed boy grimaced and pulled his hand back when he felt Percy's lips kiss his palm. He made a face and shook his hand.

"I thought I told you I wasn't interested," Nico reminded him.

Percy bit down on his lip and grabbed the hem of Nico's pants. "But you're the only one still awake, and I need company."

Nico smacked Percy's hand away. "Go keep yourself company. You have hands."

Nico turned around to attend to Cerberus again. He let out a yelp as a hand grabbed his ass. He turned around to glare at Percy, who was grinning at him. "But you have such a nice ass. It should be put to use."

Nico glared daggers up at Percy. "First off, I'm not into guys. Second, I'm seeing someone. And, third, even if I were interested, I refuse to be on the receiving end of sex."

Percy raised a hand to attempt to grab Nico's head, only for it to be smacked away. "You know, it's kind of arousing when you're feisty."

The brown-eyed Rider nearly choked, his cheeks turning red. What did it take to get it through this guy's head that he wasn't interested? He finally huffed and crouched in front of his dragon, doing his best to spot any scars or wounds that might have remained.

"Incase you didn't notice, I have to tend to my dragon, thanks to what your dragon did to him. So go away."

But Percy didn't move. He cocked his head to the side and watched Nico inspect Cerberus. Nico's brown eyes darted to the side, watching Percy from the corner of his eye. The green-eyed Rider watched him curiously, a frown on his face. "Why do you care so much?" Percy finally asked.

Nico's brow furrowed as he turned his head fully towards Percy. "What do you mean? I love Cerberus. He's my best friend." Nico stood up and arched a brow at Percy. "Don't you feel the same about your dragon?"

Percy pursed his lips and stared at Nico with a calculating look. He finally shrugged and crossed his arms. "She's like my sister. We sort of raised each other, so we're like family."

"And what about your parents? They raised you up until you were ten, or so I hear."

The taller Rider's eyes darkened. "And then my father abandoned me. Gave up the search, so he could see to you."

Nico shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. "He thought you were dead. I saw the body that we thought was yours." He tilted his head to the side. "One of the villagers even said it was yours. How could he not believe it?"

Percy's brow furrowed. "And the egg? Did anyone not question that?"

Nico shrugged. "We thought it was taken by the soldiers," he answered.

The other Rider scowled at Nico for a moment before uncrossing his arms and turning around. "Whatever. I'm going to bed, since you're being a little girl."

Nico glared at Percy. He bent down and picked up a rock, and tossed it at Percy's head. Percy froze when the stone hit him, and he reached a hand up to press against the spot. He turned his cold green eyes on Nico before continuing on to his bedroll.

"I hate him," Nico mumbled.

Cerberus's tail swept across the ground. _"Maybe you won't have to see him that much in Valterossa."_ The dragon's tail wrapped around Nico's middle and pulled him against his side. _"You need to sleep."_

Nico let out a long sigh as Cerberus's wing covered him. He curled up on the dragon's side and stared at the red wing over him. Why did they have to find this other Rider? Why did he have to be an ass? And why did he have to be such a jerk to his own father? Nico would have loved it if Poseidon were his real father, and here Percy was just pushing the man away.

He didn't want Percy around Poseidon. Nico pursed his lips. He knew he was being jealous, but he didn't care. Poseidon had been the father figure in his life for the past six years, and he didn't want to have to share with this ungrateful Rider.

* * *

Percy's brow furrowed as he began to wake up. He immediately became aware of a large hand resting on top of his head. His arm reached out to grab the person, hoping that Nico had finally come around, only to be met by a body much larger than Nico's.

He frowned and opened his eyes. He let out a groan as he stared up at Poseidon's smiling face. "What do you want, old man?"

Poseidon's smile instantly dropped. "You need to wake up." He stood up and let Percy sit up. "And I was hoping that you would finally tell me where you've been for the past six years."

The young Rider's face blanked as he stood up and stretched. His eyes shifted over to where Nico was bent over, packing his stuff. Poseidon cleared his throat and blocked Percy's gaze as the green-eyed boy tilted his head to get a better look at Nico's ass. He narrowed his eyes at the man claiming to be his father.

"No," Percy said simply.

Poseidon let out a heavy sigh. "Fine." He began to walk off. "I can only imagine the welcome we are going to receive when they see another dragon with us."

"Maybe they'll shoot them out of the sky," Nico mumbled as he placed his things on Cerberus's back.

Percy picked up his sword and attached it to his belt. "If that happens, I hope Ana takes you out as we crash."

The two Rider glared at each other. Poseidon finished packing his things and placed them on Cerberus. "As soon as you're finished getting your things, we can head to Valterossa," the man said.

Nico furrowed his brow. "We're not eating first?" The Rider sighed. "But there's going to be so many questions, which I don't want to have to deal with."

Poseidon shrugged his shoulders. "I'll see to it that things hurry along. Besides, we could also use baths."

Percy watched as Nico stepped up to Cerberus, who pushed his snout against Nico's stomach. The Rider held out his hand and placed it on his dragon, a smile on his face. The green-eyed Rider scrunched his lips. Last night had definitely caught him off-guard. But, then again, perhaps Nico just believed that he saw his dragon as a friend. After all, Gaea had told him that the Riders mistreated their dragons. Percy just needed to watch for any signs of mistreatment.

_"Is he going to be a problem for you?" _Anaklusma asked, lowering her head beside Percy. "You don't need distractions, Percy."

Percy rolled his eyes. _"It's just sex. But I do want to keep an eye on him, for a multitude of reasons. I don't want him to be a problem either."_

His dragon's tail wrapped around him and placed Percy on her back. "Just stay close to us," Poseidon called over to him. "And let me do the talking when we arrive."

Percy grunted as Cerberus took to the sky. Anaklusma flapped her wings and followed after the others, staying as close as possible, without colliding with the other dragon. They flew high over the mountains, and Percy could see a lake down below in a valley, surrounded by a few trees. There were a lot of mountains, the endless sea of them extending as far as Percy could see both east and to the north, into Rosalia.

They neared a taller mountain, and upon circling over it, Percy noticed an opening on the top of the mountain, like it had been hollowed out. Cerberus roared to announce their arrival before descending into the large mountain. Anaklusma dove in after him.

Percy was slightly surprised when he found the entire mountain to be hollowed out. Buildings had been built into the mountain walls, descending all the way down to the ground. A river lay at the bottom, and several more buildings lined it on both sides.

_"You may want to pay better attention to other things," _Anaklusma informed him.

Percy tore his eyes away from inspecting some rock that looked like it once had some precious metal embedded in it. He looked up to find soldiers staring at them as they descended, a lot of them with bows and arrows ready to be fired. A lot of yelling began to sound throughout the mountain, and Percy spotted several people making their way to where it looked like they would be landing.

Cerberus touched down in a clear space at the base of the mountain. Poseidon was already off of Nico's dragon by the time Percy landed behind them. A tall man made his way forward, followed by many soldiers and important looking people. They all dressed in nicely crafted metal armor, which Percy figured had come from the mountain. He was already beginning to question where exactly these rebels had gotten this mountain.

The tall man came to a stop in front of Poseidon, his eyes trained rather harshly on Percy, who was dismounting from his dragon. Nico hopped off of Cerberus and stood beside Poseidon. "Poseidon, would you care to explain why there is a second dragon in my city?" The tall man asked.

Another man behind the tall man eyed Percy curiously. Percy's brow furrowed as he stared at the man. He shook his head as fuzzy images of men in a familiar house popped into his mind. "Is that Percy?" The second man inquired.

Poseidon sighed. "He followed us out of the capital, said he was looking for us."

The tall man's eyes roamed between Percy and Poseidon. "He's your son? And a Rider?"

Poseidon nodded and gestured for Percy to come forward. Percy strode forward without hesitation. The guards put their hands on their swords, but took a few steps back, when Anaklusma followed after Percy.

He walked straight up to the tall man and looked him in the eye. "Are you in charge of the rebels?"

The man arched an eyebrow before nodding. "Yes. I am Chiron."

Percy nodded. "I'm Percy. It seems we have a common interest in killing Kronos."

Chiron's eyes moved over to Poseidon, who shrugged. "And why would you want to kill Kronos?" Asked a raven haired man with a beard.

"No," Percy replied bluntly.

A woman with black hair kept in a bun arched an eyebrow at him. "No? We asked you a question, you should answer."

Percy shrugged. "My business is my own. If you want my help, that's how it is going to be."

Chiron sighed. "It's all right, Athena."

A young looking blond smirked as he looked Percy over. Percy arched a brow at him before looking the blond over himself. He was thin, with very long legs. He was attractive, Percy thought. "I think we could find some uses for him," the blond finally voiced.

Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond. A girl pushed her way through the crowd and wrapped her arms around Nico's neck. She leaned up and kissed Nico on the lips. Percy's brow furrowed. This was who Nico said he was seeing? He didn't really see the appeal. Not in the girl, but in the concept of why someone would want to bind themselves to one person. It didn't make sense to him.

A tall blond stepped through the crowd and crossed his arms over his chest. His features were nicely crafted and was very attractive, in Percy's opinion. He had electric blue eyes and short blond hair that partially covered his forehead. There was a small cut on his lip and had tan skin. He looked like a warrior with muscular arms and a lean body. He was tall, around Percy's height.

"Oh joy, you're home," the newly arrived blond droned.

Nico sneered at the boy. "Nice to see you too, Jason."

Jason narrowed his eyes at Nico. "If you're quite done with my sister."

His sister pursed her lips at them. "Can you two go five minutes without fighting?"

Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose. "Zeus, can you control your children?"

The raven haired man with the beard strode forward and pried the girl off of Nico. "Thalia, Jason, you should run along."

Jason's eyes finally landed on Percy. The Rider smirked at him, bringing a light blush to the blond cheeks. Percy smirked to himself. Well, maybe there was some hope for him finding someone to have fun with around this place. His eyes moved back over to Nico. Still, he wasn't quite done trying to get Nico to come around.

Athena tapped a finger to her lips. "This is very good, Chiron. A second Rider will greatly improve things for us."

The familiar looking man from earlier sighed. "The king's dragon is still an elder dragon. It's still a great risk for them to fight him," he pointed out.

Percy frowned at the man. "I'm not weak."

Poseidon placed a hand on Percy's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. The man frowned at Percy. "Janus meant no offense, Percy."

"Whatever," Percy mumbled. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."

Poseidon looked at Chiron, who nodded. "Just make sure he comes to the council meeting in the morning."

Poseidon smiled and led Percy and Nico away. The crowd parted to allow the two dragons to follow after their Riders. Percy frowned as he turned his head to look at Anaklusma. "Where is she going to sleep?"

Poseidon turned his head to look at Percy's dragon as well. "Cerberus has taken up residence in the tunnels. She's welcome to do the same."

Percy's brow furrowed. "She can't sleep with me?"

The man chuckled. "She could, if you want your home to be crushed."

Nico pursed his lips. "Let me guess, he's going to be living with us?"

Poseidon sighed. "You two are going to have to get along. We need you both."

Percy and Nico looked at each other. The brown-eyed boy narrowed his eyes at Percy. They came to a stop in front of a sloping path. The raven haired man turned to the dragons with a smile. "Cerberus, would you please show our new dragon friend where she can rest?"

Anaklusma grunted lowly. _"I want my things delivered to me later. Though, this place isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."_

Percy smiled at her. _"Yeah. It's not that different from home."_

Cerberus and Anaklusma flew off down into a large looking tunnel. Poseidon cleared his throat and led Percy and Nico up the path in front of them. Percy looked around as they traveled up the path. It really wan't that different from home, but he could tell the differences between men and dragons. While it wasn't that different from home, it did have a different feel to it.

Something was off about the place. It felt old, and if the destroyed etchings on the walls were any indication, this place had possibly been used before these people had found it. Percy's eyes moved away from the stone, to linger on Nico's ass. The boy had nice hips, and an even better ass. He wondered how it looked without the clothes.

They came to a stop in front of a stone building, where the mountain had been knocked off around it, forming a rectangular shape. A wooden door had been placed in the center, while several windows with glass had been placed around the building. Poseidon opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Nico stepped in first, not even bothering to let Percy go first.

Percy stepped in behind Nico and looked around the place. A table had been set up in a corner, close to a sectioned off area that had a lot of food. Several books had been placed on shelves against another wall. Some swords, bows, crossbows, shields, and arrows were in a small open space in one of the walls.

There was a hallway directly across from the entry, leading farther into the house. Nico wasted no time in heading into it, lighting candles on the way. He opened a door, and Percy could have sworn he hard rushing water for the brief moment the door was open.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "We have an extra room that we can turn into a bedroom for you. I suppose I should go find you a bed to sleep in." He sighed and stared down the hall. "Get Nico to take you into the market for food."

Percy's brow furrowed. "I would rather go hunting."

The tall man arched an eyebrow at him. "We have plenty of money for food, but if you prefer to hunt, that's fine too." The man let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose I'll be off. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Percy grunted as Poseidon stepped back out of the house. He looked around the place for a moment before heading down the hall. He opened one of the doors, finding a large bedroom. There were a lot of old looking books and scrolls strewn about. A sword rested by the bed. A small locket sat on the bed. Percy frowned at it. Why did it seem so familiar to him?

He sighed and closed the door. He walked down the hall and opened another door. This one was messier than the first. The bed was not made and there were a lot of open books on the bed. The occupant of the room had made no attempt to pick up some of the clothes that were strewn about on the floor. This room had a window in it, which cast a small amount of light into the room. Percy cocked his head to the side as he stared at the window.

He closed the door and headed for the door that Nico had disappeared into. He stopped to stare in amazement as he was greeted by a small pool of water and a small waterfall. An opening in the cavern was shining light down on them from overhead. Percy blinked as he spotted Cerberus and Anaklusma across the cavern, curled up on opposite sides of a large area by the pool of water.

Nico sat on ledge, staring down at the water. Percy silently walked forward and rested his shoulder against a wall in the small tunnel that they currently stood in. "Go away," Nico whispered without looking back at him.

"This is a nice place," Percy decided.

Nico sighed. "You know, I liked this spot for the privacy I got, but now I feel it's ruined."

Percy pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, debating on kicking the boy off the ledge. He sighed and looked over at the dragons. "Can I get to her from here?"

Nico nodded his head off to the side. "Down that way."

Percy moved around Nico and stared down to where the tunnel curved off. He walked down until he found a drop off point. Looking down, he spotted some rocks that acted as a ladder. _"Hunting time, Ana,"_ Percy informed his dragon as he maneuvered down to the pool of water.

The blue and white dragon perked up before flying in his direction. Percy smiled and climbed onto her back. _"I thought you had forgotten."_

He chuckled and looked up at Nico, who was watching him carefully. "Can we get out from up there?" He asked, pointing up to the opening in the cavern.

Nico nodded and Anaklusma took off. They flew through the opening and out of the mountain. Percy frowned and stared back at the opening. A few more years of growing, and his dragon wouldn't be able to fit through there anymore.

He smiled as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Anaklusma descended and began looking for something to hunt. _"I wonder if they have anything like they do back home,"_ she mused.

An hour later, Percy was leaning against his dragon as they ate goat. Anaklusma had already devoured most of the ones she had acquired, while Percy continued to eat the meat from his. "How do you like it so far?" Percy asked.

"It isn't so bad," the dragon said aloud, in her native tongue.

Percy sighed. "I just want to know how long it's going to take for something to get done. I hate waiting."

A low grumbling came from within Anaklusma. "If that lizard that wishes to call himself a dragon comments on my appearance again, I will tear off his wings."

Percy chuckled at her comment. "Maybe something a little less hostile?" He let out a sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, Nico was right last night."

Anaklusma narrowed her eyes at her Rider. _"Are you going to go soft for some boy?"_

The raven haired boy gave her an annoyed look. "He's nothing special. All he is is another person to gain pleasure from." He smirked at his dragon. "I'm starting to think you're jealous."

The dragon snorted, her slits narrowing. _"Don't flatter yourself."_ She grunted and turned her snout up. _"No one could ever replace me."_

The boy chuckled and stood up. "That's true. Anyways, we should probably head back now. I need to do some hunting of another kind."

The large dragon grunted. _"I think you've finally met your match. Nico isn't going to give in."_

Percy slung his arms behind his head as his dragon got to her feet. "Never say never, Ana. I always get my prey. He just needs some persuading. But, for now, I'll work on wearing him down, while pursuing someone else to satisfy myself with."

Anaklusma lowered herself so that Percy could climb onto her back. She flapped her wings, sending dirt flying around them. With a deep roar, the blue and white dragon flew into the air and headed back towards the mountain that housed Valterossa.

Upon entering the cavern, Cerberus raised his head to look at them. Anaklusma landed a few feet from him and let Percy off of her back. The red dragon grunted before curling his head in towards his body and placing a wing over his head.

Percy slung his arms behind his head casually as he walked back over to where he needed to climb up to get back into his new, temporary, house. Pulling himself up, he looked around for Nico, but was unable to find him anywhere.

Percy's brow furrowed as he made his way through the small tunnel, back into the house. As soon as the door was shut and the sound of water was gone, Percy could hear two people talking. He recognized one voice as Nico's, but was unfamiliar with the second. He could tell it was a female.

The tall Rider walked down the hall and peered into the main room. Nico stood by the table, while a girl was seated on the other side of the room. Nico's dark eyes flickered over to Percy before narrowing. "Joy, you've returned," the shorter boy mumbled.

The girl from earlier, Thalia, tapped her fingers on the back of the piece of furniture she sat on. It was long and made of wood, with some pillows on the seat and back of it. Her blue eyes darkened as she stared at Percy. She stood up and moved over to Percy, extending her hand to him. "You're that new Rider, yes? We were just talking about you."

Percy eyed her hand oddly before taking her fingers in his hand and shaking it awkwardly. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Percy," the green-eyed Rider said.

She nodded at him. "Thalia," she pursed her lips and dug her nails into Percy's wrist, "the girl that Nico is seeing."

Percy smiled at her and pulled her hand over his shoulder. "You're quite lovely."

Nico's eyes widened, while Thalia blinked at Percy in surprise. Percy smirked and moved his hand up to touch Thalia's cheek, but his wrist was grabbed by the brown-eyed Rider and tossed back to his side. "You really need to learn boundaries," Nico growled.

The green-eyed boy blinked and tilted his head to the side. "But you are being stubborn, and I need someone in order to have sex."

Nico and Thalia's cheeks tinged pink. "You can't have her," Nico barked.

Percy scrunched his lips. "What if you both participate?"

Nico choked and stumbled backwards. "No!" He sighed and rubbed his temple. "How can you not get this? Where have you been for the past six years?"

"We've already been over this."

Nico's eye twitched. "That's not what I meant!" He gave a heavy sigh. "I just meant that most people understand that things like this are not okay."

Thalia nodded her head. "Like flirting with Nico. I do not approve of that." Her forehead wrinkled. "And I'm definitely not okay with being flirted with by someone flirting him."

Percy rubbed the back of his head. "Well, what about that brother of yours?"

Two pairs of eyes in front of him widened. "Do you have any shame?" Nico sighed exasperatedly.

The green-eyed boy scratched his cheek. "What's that?"

The brown-eyed Rider sighed and smacked his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me."

Percy arched his eyebrow, his head falling to the side. "I don't think I am. What was the joke?"

There was a knock at the door. Nico sighed and shook his head at Percy before turning around to walk over to answer it. Percy's eyes traveled down to stare at Nico's ass. Thalia narrowed her eyes and smacked his arm. "Stop that," she hissed.

Percy frowned at her. "But it's there for me to stare at. How is it that I'm forbidden from doing so?"

Nico growled as he opened the door. The slender blond from earlier stood in the doorway, a cocky smirk on his face. His blue eyes moved past Nico to stare at Percy. "Ah, there he is," the blond said, pushing past Nico.

"Go away, Octavian," Nico huffed.

Octavian smiled and held his hand out towards Percy, who grabbed the side of the pale hand and shook it back and forth. The blond pulled his hand back and gave the green-eyed boy an odd look. "Uh, the name is Octavian, and I'm one of the council members."

The Rider nodded. "Percy."

"Wonderful." Octavian grinned at Percy, looking him up and down. "I think I'm going to enjoy working with you. It's so refreshing to have a new Rider around here. Nico isn't very enjoyable company."

Percy's eyes drifted over to Nico, giving him a questioning look. The brown-eyed Rider narrowed his eyes at the blond. "Octavian," he growled warningly, "if you try anything-"

The blond laughed. "Relax, Nico. I mean him no harm. I just want to show him our good hospitality."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Like you tried showing Nico when he first got here?" She placed her hands on her hips. "He was thirteen, Octavian!"

"Nothing happened, Thalia." Nico let out a sigh and rubbed his arm. "Can you please leave, Octavian?"

The blond hummed. "Isn't that up to Percy?"

Nico's brown eyes seemed to turn black. Percy shrugged. "I was going to head out anyways," the green-eyed Rider announced.

Everyone turned to look at him. "You were?" Nico asked. "Where?"

Octavian smiled and slid closer to Percy. "And can I join you?"

Percy scrunched his lips as he contemplated this. "Well, I'd have no problem with it, but it seems like everyone is so territorial around here with sex."

Nico's eyes widened. "Where are you going?" He nearly shouted.

Percy shrugged and slid a hand behind his head. "I was going to go track down Thalia's brother."

Octavian's eyes widened slightly as he looked between Percy and Nico. Thalia's eyes twitched. "Please do not go defile my brother."

The Rider frowned at her. "But he looked interested earlier."

Nico narrowed his eyes at Percy. "What is wrong with you? First you flirt with me, then Thalia, then accept Octavian's advances, and now you're going after Thalia's brother?" He shook his head. "Do people mean anything to you?"

"Of course."

"For love?"

Percy frowned. "What do you mean?"

Nico sighed. "Don't you have someone you love?"

The green-eyed Rider shrugged. "I love Ana."

The shorter of the two Riders groaned and rubbed his temple. Octavian smirked at Percy's words. Percy stared at Nico in confusion. He didn't see what the big deal was. Why was there such a fascination with people to be with only one person? What was the appeal in this?

Octavian grinned widely. "I would be honored to show the new Dragon Rider around, and perhaps we can find Jason along the way."

Nico crossed his arms and began tapping his finger on his arm. "I bet you would." He rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Octavian smiled and nodded towards the door. Percy glanced over to Nico before moving to follow after the blond. The hostility between his fellow Rider and this blond was practically filling the entire room with tension. Thalia glared at him as he passed her.

"Be careful around him," Nico whispered as Percy walked past.

Percy arched an eyebrow. "He doesn't look very strong."

The shorter of the two shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

Percy tilted his head to the side and stared at Nico, until the boy grunted and walked off. Thalia sighed and followed after him, down the hall. Octavian smiled at Percy. "Coming?"

The tall Rider stared at Nico's retreating back. He had an odd feeling he was standing in the middle of a secret snake pit. He frowned and furrowed his brow before letting out a long sigh. His head turned back around to stare at the blond in the doorway. Letting out an appreciative grunt, Percy followed after him out the door, and out into the city.

_It feels like forever since I wrote this chapter. I don't know, some part of me just wants to discontinue it now, before I get deeper into it. We'll see. I'll probably spend several hours talking about it with Bragi and a few of you later, after I wake up. I don't have the next chapter written yet, or have any clue what will happen, so I got no clues for you on that front. I hope you like how Percy and Nico's interactions are going. I can't really think of a question for this chapter at the moment, so I will just end it here. I'll see you guys later, with an update for one of my stories, possibly a new one. It'll probably be Shadows, though, since I'm in the middle of writing it._


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